Free Speech in the College Community

ISBN: 0253332672

Author: O

Condition: New

From Publishers WeeklyIn Real Life, few people's right to free speech is protected by tenure; on the other hand, what is "fair use" IRL is plagiarism on campus. O'Neil argues that academies are different from the rest of the world, and he should know. The director of the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression and the former president of the universities of Virginia and Wisconsin, O'Neil offers a patient, almost patronizing explanation of why universities cannot legally and should not morally curb speech. In each chapter he dramatizes issues through the use of letters and memoranda based on actual events. Each fictionalized exemplar is followed by a discussion held according to good Socratic method. Among the most intriguing are his discussions of e-mail, Internet access and what sort of power the university has over its electronic networks, as well as speech codes and the difficulties of defining just what real harassment is. O'Neil suggests that "resorting to such measures as curbing views or ideas implies that we lack (or failed to use) subtler means of persuasion." But the content is marred by O'Neil's fictional lawyers and administrators, a group as stodgy and dignified as the college bigwigs Groucho lampoons in Horsefeathers. And his reviews of celebrated cases (e.g., Leonard Jeffries's anti-Semitic comments while chairman of African Studies at CCNY) are fodder for abstractions rather than interesting reportage. O'Neil seems to see his duty as reminding his brother presidents that, as infuriating as students and professors are, they have to be treated in accordance with the Bill of Rights.Copyright 1997 Cahners Business Information, Inc.Product Description"This is an engaging and highly readable discussion of the intricacies of First Amendment jurisprudence as it is applied to the college campus." -The Law and Politics Book Review"Lucidly written, the book can be read and understood by many audiences from student organizations to board members.... Essential for all college and university libraries." -Choice"A pragmatic, libertarian-minded, and well-informed legal handbook for the First Amendment on campus..." -Kirkus Reviews"... the most comprehensive and thorough examination of campus speech available today." -Harvard Educational Review"Bob ONeil has produced the seminal work on First Amendment freedoms on our university campuses. He has brought scolarship, clear thinking and clean prose to a book of critical importance to all of us." -Bruce W. Sanford"Robert ONeil has long been one of the brightest stars in the complex and controversial arena of freedom of expression. And he has never shined brighter and with more incisive clarity than with his new work, Free Speech in the College Community." -Richar A. Roth, Trustee of the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Freedom of Expression"This is the first integrated discussion of the fascinating free speech issues that pertain to teachers and students. It is an unusually informative, vivid and balanced treatment and an absolute must read for all academics and students." -Norman Dorsen, former president of the American Civil Liberties Union"Free Speech in the College Community is a very timely book written by a dedicated scholar of the First Amendment. Challenging and readable it should be studied by all academicians, students, legislators and lawyers." -Nancy Kassebaum Baker, United States Senator (retired)All of todays "hot-button" issues are dealt with in this timely book, from Holocaust denial to claims of racial determination of intelligence to hate speech. Former college president Robert ONeil dramatically illustrates the many types of problems that confront university administrators, frequently using representative fictional characters and discourse to present the situations. Free Speech in the College Community illustrates the many problems that now confront universities by questioning whether or not speech on campus