The First Amendment is not optional

One of my favorite watchdog groups is FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. They see their role as guarding the first amendment rights of students and faculty of institutions of higher education. Something which needs to be done. Speech codes and diversity mandates abound and seem to grow larger and more intrusive every year.

As they state on their website though. At public universities, restrictions on the first amendment are not policy decision, they are illegal. Something university administrators should remember.