property of the alliance defense fund. the constitution protects your rights of speech, association,...

Property of the Alliance Defense Fund

The Constitution protects your rights of speech, association, exercise of

religious beliefs, equal access, and equality of opportunity.

These rights don’t vanish at the gates of your public university


You have a right to:• Freedom of Speech - The U.S. Constitution protects your right to express your

personal religious beliefs in writing, speech, and visual or performing arts in your public university. Public universities use unconstitutional speech codes and speech zone policies on their campuses to censor your ability to speak freely. These speech codes give administrators broad discretion to silence and prohibit speech they deem “offensive.”

• Freedom of Association - Your Christian student group has the same right to associate on university campuses as any other group. Overly broad “nondiscrimination” policies are used to undermine the ability of Christian student groups to select members and leaders based on their beliefs. Again and again, we have seen universities expel Christian groups from campus merely because they want to have Christian leadership or Christian membership, or uphold biblical standards of behavior.


• Freely Exercise Your Religious Beliefs - Public Universities cannot compel you to publicly advocate views and adopt values that run contrary to your beliefs.

• Equal Access - All lawful student groups, like yours, have the same right to access university resources as any other student group. Whether you’re a part of a Christian student prayer group, or a conservative debating team, you should be able to utilize campus resources as readily as any other group.

• Equality of Opportunity - You deserve to be free from censorship, reprisal or punishment. Being a Christian does not preclude you from having the same chance at academic success, employment, and promotion.

You have a right to:


Policies and practices used to undermine your rights

• SPEECH CODES are used to censor and intimidate expressions of faith.

• In Pennsylvania, university officials enacted a speech code that prohibited “acts of intolerance” and engaged in viewpoint discrimination by defunding a student group for certain kinds of speech.



• SPEECH ZONES AND SPEECH - RESTRICTIVE POLICIES are used to limit the ability of students to speak freely on campus.

• At Yuba College in California, campus officials allowed ”free speech” for only two hours a week, and silenced a student from expressing his faith to other students along a walkway. Campus police told him he needed a permit and threatened him with expulsion and arrest if he continued to exercise his free speech rights on campus.



• STUDENT ACTIVITY FEESFaith-based student groups are regularly denied a proportionate share of student activity fees.

• University of Oklahoma officials denied equal access to student fees to a student organization that published a newspaper from a Christian perspective, yet funded other student publications.



• COMPELLED PARTICIPATION of students to publicly advocate views and adopt values that are contrary to their beliefs.

• In Missouri, state university administrators and faculty directed a student to participate in lobbying the state legislature to support homosexual adoption as part of her course work toward a degree in social work. When she refused because of her Christian beliefs, she was brought up on academic charges and faced the threat of having her degree withheld.



• NONDISCRIMINATION POLICIES are used to undermine the ability of student groups to select members and leaders based on shared beliefs.

• University of Florida officials refused to recognize a Christian fraternity because it

limited its membership to Christian men.



• ACADEMIC AND EMPLOYMENT RETALIATION against students and faculty members who engage in legitimate,

constitutionally protected speech and exercise of religion.

• At the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, Dr. Michael Adams was a rising star in the criminal justice department, until he became a Christian. He became the target of numerous intrusive investigations on campus and was denied promotion to full professor for tenure, even though he excelled in all three areas of evaluation.


It is neither right nor legal…• When you are censored or punished for expressing your ideas,

opinions, beliefs.

• When you are limited in your ability to speak freely on campus.

• When your student group is denied access to resources and facilities, when other groups are accommodated.

• When you are compelled to publicly advocate views and adopt values that are in direct opposition to their deeply held beliefs.


It is neither right nor legal…• When nondiscrimination policies are used to undermine the

ability of your group to select members and leaders based on shared beliefs.

• When you or faculty members face academic and employment Retaliation for engaging in legitimate, constitutionally protected speech and exercise of religion.


We must stop unfair and unequal treatment

• You are the leaders of tomorrow, so what is happening on campus NOW directly impacts our society for decades to come.

• Our present and our future depend on those of you who are willing to take a stand for your rights — on campus and in the courts.

• By ending censorship, reprisal, and punishment, you can ensure equality of opportunity for all students.

• You can ensure that there are more, not fewer, voices shaping the judgments and decisions that we make as a nation.


We ALL need to Speak Up• Speak Up to protect and promote your constitutional rights.

• Speak Up to address one of the most critical and far-reaching issues that we face as a nation.

• The Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom has developed SpeakUpMovement.org as a resource for you to help preserve constitutionally protected religious liberties at our public colleges and universities.

• Tell your story of injustice at SpeakUpMovement.org.


We ALL need to Speak Up• SpeakUpMovement.org OFFERS EDUCATION to the millions of you at public

colleges and universities who may not know your rights, and don’t know how imperiled those rights are.

• SpeakUpMovement.org OFFERS ENGAGEMENT to you and concerned citizens everywhere who rightly fear this erosion of rights and freedoms.

• The Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom PROVIDES LEGAL ASSISTANCE to students and faculty members whose constitutional rights have been violated.


If we all Speak Up• We can achieve victory in protecting students’ constitutionally

protected rights:

– Victory that reigns in the courtroom, with significant legal victories and precedent-setting cases

– Victory that appears on the campus, when public universities promote an environment of equality of opportunity and justice for all

– Victory that buttresses your cornerstone American valuesincluding the sanctity of life, marriage, and religious freedom


– Victory that offers a better tomorrow, where Christian students like you are educated in an environment free of censorship, reprisal, and punishment.

– Victory that offers a better tomorrow, where Christian students like you are educated in an environment free of censorship, reprisal, and punishment

If we all Speak Up


Ways you can Speak Up

• GET INFORMEDKnow your rights. Visit SpeakUpMovement.org.

• GET INVOLVEDJoin Speak Up. Tell us your story of injustice and help thwart unlawful attacks on your constitutionally protected rights.

• GET HELPIf you feel that your religious rights are being violated, call the Alliance Defense Fund at 1-800-TELL-ADF.



This PowerPoint is for informational use and does not provide legal advice. If you are seeking legal advice regarding your situation, please contact us at 1-800-TELLADF.ORG.

property of the alliance defense fund. the constitution protects your rights of speech, association,...

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