StuCo urges University to clarify rules on speech - Council recommends removing University-wide civility policy
Reporting about the SGA, not a record of it: The Johns Hopkins News-Letter published this and the SGA did not write it, file it, or approve it. The archive holds it because the article itself uses the phrase “student council”.
Summary
- This Johns Hopkins News-Letter article reports on Student Council’s passage of a bill about free speech and University speech policies.
- The paper reported that the bill asks administrators to create clearer rules protecting all ideas and says Student Council groups must not limit students’ First Amendment rights; according to President Scott Bierbryer, it passed 12–6, with six abstentions.
- The article says the bill criticised the University’s civility policy, while Senator Evan Lazerowitz called it “a very broad speech code” because it bans rude or disrespectful behavior.
- The reporter writes that Senator Zachary Moor opposed the bill as unfairly critical and unnecessary; Lazerowitz denied that it was created in response to the Sigma Chi scandal.
- The paper reported that Bierbryer planned to meet with deans about implementing the bill, which covers several Student Council groups, including the Student Activities Council and Spring Fair.