What should college and university administrators do when the First Amendment seemingly conflicts with tightly held institutional values? Should administrators block, discourage, or attempt to adjudicate speech because it doesn’t agree with their belief systems or institutional mission statements?

This reader-friendly handbook addresses the responsibilities of administrators to balance protecting the rights of many different parties while maintaining a campus atmosphere conducive to learning. It offers practical advice and strategies for dealing with myriad First Amendment issues based on previous court cases and the experiences of administrators and campus hearing officers who have lived to tell about it.

Written by leading practitioners in the fields of higher education and law, this easy-to-use guide provides:

• 13 real-life campus scenarios that deal with some of the most common free-speech issues facing American colleges and universities today. Each scenario provides commentary that informs the reader of key legal concepts and is followed by a series of questions for the reader to consider in the context of a specific college or university;
• A comprehensive overview of First Amendment law and commonly used terms;
• An analysis of the differences and parallels between public and private institutions when examining free speech;
• Concrete guidance for analyzing First Amendment issues and weighing the risk of legal challenge with the free exchange of ideas on campus; and
• Recommendations for healing campus and stakeholder relations both during and after a First Amendment dispute.

Published by NASPA, 2006

ISBN 0-931654-46-7