A North Carolina U.S. Congressman held his 4th Annual Campus Free Speech Round-table this week to discuss challenges to free expression on college campuses and solutions to support First Amendment protections.
Congressman Greg Murphy said DEI programs have replaced the principles of civility, freedom of expression, and equality on which institutions of higher education were founded.
"It's almost makes you scratch your head that you have to ask people just to play nice in the sandbox and listen to other individuals," he said, "Not have for speech, not have people signed, commitments, you know. Honestly, I think some of this is the greatest peer pressure of it since the Spanish Inquisition.”
Education & the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx took part in the discussion, focusing on the bill that would prohibit federal funding for institutions of higher education that carry out diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
"Despite what critics claim, the bill does not mandate any political viewpoint or ideology," she explained. "It simply demands from the accreditation process down to the classroom that all levels of post-secondary education refrain from compelling students and faculty to commit to certain viewpoints or ideologies.”
Congressman Burgess Owens, an African-American Republican from Utah, said Congress plays a role in oversight of public universities and must protect students' First Amendment rights and said modern DEI initiatives aren’t the answer.
"We don’t mind sitting down with someone that we might disagree with because we know that we're nice, respectful. We've come to the plate with a good thought that maybe we'll get them to see it our way and then once we have that debate, we can go out and watch a football game together," he said, "That's old school. We have to get back to that.”
Murphy said free speech on campuses across the country has been under attack for decades, and anti-Semitism and DEI programs have replaced the principles of civility, freedom of expression, and equality.
