For those who think campus controversies are confined to the coasts, take a look at what some people call “flyover country” and the rest of us call the country. “Located just north of Atlanta, Kennesaw State University is a school enrolling some 35,000 students,” George Leef writes in a dispatch distributed by the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal. “Arguably, the most noteworthy thing about it is the fact that its officials keep making decisions that land it in court.”
“In February, the university’s ‘speech zone’ policy came under attack. A student group, Ratio Christi, wanted to put up a pro-life display but a KSU administrator told them that they would be allowed to put up their display where they wanted on campus only if they agreed to remove certain posters that she said were ‘too controversial.’ If they would not agree to that, they would only be allowed to host their display in the ‘free speech zone.’
Actually, KSU has seven speech zones that can be reserved for activities ranging from one that is optimal because of its proximity to large numbers of people passing by to the least appealing, a secluded, muddy one. That zone comprises just .08 percent of the school’s 405 acres. KSU’s speech zone policy, incidentally, was created by its Office of Student Life.”
Nor are the zones distributed equally. The campus LGBTQ group was able to commandeer all seven while the pro-life group had to beg for one. Similarly, security fees were charged to Young Americans for Freedom that were not demanded of Black Lives Matter.
