Welcome to Free Speech Training
Oklahoma Free Speech Committee
“Commitment to the principle of freedom of expression lies at the very core of the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education.” That is the unanimous finding of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. Expressive freedom is so central to what colleges and universities do that the State Regents have stated that “[w]ithout a vibrant commitment to free and open inquiry, an institution of higher education ceases to fulfill its mission.”
As chair of the Oklahoma Free Speech Committee, I welcome you to our training program on freedom of expression. The individuals who serve on the committee have deep professional connections to higher education in Oklahoma, are truly bipartisan, and are committed to the principle that debate “may not be suppressed because the ideas put forth are thought by some or even most members of a college or university community to be offensive, unwise, immoral, or wrong-headed.”
State law mandates First Amendment training “for all college deans, heads of departments, and individuals responsible for establishing university free speech policies or handling free speech complaints.” Of course, no one wants to undergo mandatory training or a mandatory review. But the Oklahoma Free Speech Committee views its job as working with our institutions to promote and protect expressive freedom on our college and university campuses.
Freedom of expression can be hard to do, especially as to views that are unpopular. But expressive freedom is the right thing to do, and it has made American higher education the best in the world. We do not indoctrinate. We do not merely pass on knowledge or simply certify. Instead, we foster critical thinking and thereby pass on the key to lifelong learning and a better, more civil society.
Thank you for all you do to support higher education in Oklahoma.
Andy Lester, Chair
Oklahoma Free Speech Committee
FSC Training Videos
2024 Oklahoma Free Speech Committee Training Keynote Address
Presented by Professor Joseph Thai (University of Oklahoma College of Law)
This presentation covers the basics of free speech, special contexts, forum doctrine, employee speech, social media and private universities.
2024 Oklahoma Free Speech Committee Training Panel
Presented by Chair Andy Lester (State Regent Emeritus and Committee Chair), Deputy General Counsel Brandee Hancock (Board of Regents for the Oklahoma A&M Colleges) and Executive Secretary Mackenzie Wilfong (University of Oklahoma Board of Regents)
This panel covers a variety of questions that impact free expression on college and university campuses such as: time, place, and manner restrictions; academic freedom; free speech zones and Senate Bill 361; the legal history of free speech in Oklahoma; controversial speakers; and offensive, but protected speech.
Other Tools
Professor Thai’s Keynote Address Slide Deck (PDF, 16m)
Overview: Freedom of Expression and Contemporary College Campus Culture (PDF, 204k)