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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Second write-in candidate makes commission position a contest Guide promotes better food system Will TV makeover do the trick for Mystic Treats? Police Reports Calendar: Tuesday, Oct. 28 Education Every minute counts, so make punctuality a habit Helman students illustrate kindness, love SOU's 'Count Me In' campaign raises $210,000 Fun, fundraising and art at Helman Elementary School Ashland mourns death of former coach Stan Gida Environment Rite Aid cub well, could come back to southern Oregon Report: Smaller streams need further protection Bear cub wanders into Rite Aid Kalmiopsis' future at stake if mining goes forward Fires and forests evolved together, but now people are in the mix Business Shenandoah Living Funerals Will TV makeover do the trick for Mystic Treats? Volvo V60 R-Design is all work, all play Newly renovated Ashland Hills hosts open house Hot Stuff Espresso Politics and elections Second write-in candidate makes commission position a contest Underdog Christofferson holds out hope of upsetting Walden Aquatics backer announces write-in candidacy for Parks & Rec board Richardson accuses Kitzhaber of 'corruption' in final debate Stricker steps down from Talent council State News Nation - World Obituaries Bess Hamers Ronald J. Hupp Death Notices Gary Wayne Campbell Brian Douglas Bellamy Sports Latest Stories Raiders move up to No. 5 in Top 25 They're twins, and they're good Royals' Guthrie to face Giants' Hudson in Game 3 App Finder: Best basketball apps No. 11 SOU volleyball team returns home for two key matches High school They're twins, and they're good Ashland mourns death of former coach Stan Gida What slump? Grizzlies drop-kick Eagles Grizzlies row to raise money for regatta Grizzlies run out of magic in loss to No. 3 Springfield Southern Oregon University Raiders move up to No. 5 in Top 25 No. 11 SOU volleyball team returns home for two key matches Ashland mourns death of former coach Stan Gida SOU football team falls to No. 7 in NAIA rankings No. 4 SOU, No. 3 Carroll to square off in Frontier Conference showdown Opinion Latest Stories Granlund cartoon: Haunted White House 2014 Our View: The Hills are alive Granlund cartoon: Midterm elections Granlund cartoon: Voter apathy Granlund cartoon: Voter discontent Editorial Our View: The Hills are alive Our View: Fix the 'free speech zone' Our View: Cheering Ashland's own Kitzhaber is the better choice Our View: Merkley, with a nudge Letters Letters to the Editor, Oct. 24 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 23 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 21 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 21 Letters to the editor Guest opinions Teaching the First Amendment Guest Opinion: Media are part of the pot prohibition problem Wilderness successes could be lost if funding not restored Religion and politics in America City should revise its rules for murals Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Celebrating Dylan Thomas Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Repertory singers prepare 'powerful' opening concert Griffin heads to Historic Ashland Armory Best Bets Oct. 23-30 Theater New plays debut at ANPF Music Repertory singers prepare 'powerful' opening concert Q&A: Broken Down Guitars The Farr Side: Bryan Adams releases album of influential hits Tutunov Piano Series begins at SOU Q&A: Becky Alter Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk Movies Movie review: ‘Whiplash’ hits high notes Movie review: ‘Birdman,’ Keaton soar Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas 'Fury' shows the grim toll of war Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Definitions that mislead, rather than inform Shayne Looper: Is religion a do-it-yourself project? Dr. Elaine Heffner: First building blocks A full life emptied by grief, refilled by living Search for Sherry leads through Talent Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs NEWS NOW Our View: The Hills are alive ... Calendar: Tuesday, Oct. 28 ... AAA reports dropping gas prices ... Our View: The Hills are alive ... Calendar: Tuesday, Oct. 28 ... AAA reports dropping gas prices ... OUR VIEW Our View: Fix the 'free speech zone' DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Oct. 25, 2014 @ 12:01 am Posted Oct. 25, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Social News One of the students involved in the "free speech zone" controversy at Southern Oregon University now says the story was blown out of proportion. On one level, that's true. But the university still needs to fix what is potentially an unconstitutional infringement of the First Amendment. The dispute began when a group of students handed out copies of the U.S. Constitution outside SOU residence halls and asked students to sign a petition protesting the "free speech zone" described on the university's website. Campus officials asked the students to move to the free speech zone; they refused, but were not detained or disciplined. The incident got national news coverage, probably because the students are affiliated with a national organization that advocates allowing students with concealed handgun licenses to carry guns on campus. That issue is beside the point: This is about free speech. The policy, SOU officials now say, is a Stevenson Union "guideline" adopted to deal with protests against the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, and they have invited the student protesters to help draft a new policy. Judging by past court rulings striking down "free speech zones" on other campuses, SOU officials should think long and hard before maintaining anything that appears so restrictive. Universities are supposed to be bastions of intellectual and academic freedom. Corralling students into a "zone" sounds downright un-American. Students and school officials drafting the new policy should focus on ensuring that free speech does in fact remain free on the SOU campus. 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