The Breeze: September 24 2009

VOL. 86, ISSUE 10 Thursday, September 24, 2009 Serving James Madison University Since 1922 By AMANDA CASKEY and AMANDA HERMAN The Breeze and contributing writer Five little words can make all the di erence when it comes to students’ right to free speech.... More

VOL. 86, ISSUE 10 Thursday, September 24, 2009 Serving James Madison University Since 1922 By AMANDA CASKEY and AMANDA HERMAN The Breeze and contributing writer Five little words can make all the di erence when it comes to students’ right to free speech. Before the start of this semester, James Madison University made a change to section J - in the Student Handbook. Previously, the policy read, “No student shall engage inlewd,indecentorobsceneconduct or expression on university property or in university-owned or operated buildings. ” The new policy, however, states that these actions and expressions cannot take place “regardless of proximity to campus. ” Essentially, this minor change limits free speech anywhere from the streets to the Internet. Obscene behavior is extreme or deeply o ensive material based on current community standards of decency, according to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) exposed this change in poli Less