Dear WKU Faculty, Staff and Students,
Two weeks ago, a student organization guest speaker announcement captured the attention of many students, faculty, staff and alumni. It also provoked questions about why WKU would allow this event to occur and requests for an institutional condemnation of the speaker.
As guardians of free speech, universities have an obligation to establish an environment where a wide range of perspectives are exchanged, even if the ideas presented are different from our own, offensive or even contemptable. Furthermore, as a public university WKU is compelled by law to do so. The Campus Free Speech Protection Act, passed by the Kentucky Legislature and signed into law by the Governor in 2019, prohibits WKU from disinviting speakers who have been invited by students, faculty or staff and obligates the university to ensure that invited speakers are not disrupted or restricted. We cannot tolerate a “heckler’s veto” intended to disrupt or cancel an event and, in turn, suppress the speech of the speaker.
Any registered student organization may reserve space on our campus to host meetings, events and activities, including guest speakers. However, when individuals or groups visit our public campus, it does not mean that the university supports, endorses or agrees with the views presented. If you disagree with a speaker’s content or character, you have a range of options: attend, listen and question; don’t attend or don’t listen; create counter programming somewhere else on campus that highlights a different perspective; or make your opposition heard through peaceful protest.
