South Dakota colleges to take 'more aggressive' approach to free speech, regents say

The South Dakota Board of Regents plans to change free speech policies after a nationwide effort to push for stronger language at schools across the country during the last year.

But Kevin Schieffer, South Dakota's Board of Regents president, says pending updates to free speech policies at public universities aren't the result of any one particular outcry.

"Many of the changes are really clarifying in nature," Schieffer said. "But some take a decidedly more aggressive approach to ensuring free speech, particularly to ensure harassment or other Title IX kinds of policies do not go too far in curbing free speech."

The South Dakota Board of Regents is asking for public comment about seven potential changes to free speech policies at its universities by Oct. 3. The board is also considering changes related to the student code of conduct, funding of student organizations, politics activities, how facilities are used and acceptable use of information technology systems.

"There have been numerous high-profile speech cancellations in other parts of the country that raised free speech concerns," Schieffer said Monday. "Also I think it's fair to say that there is a growing feeling out there that Title IX demands regarding sexual harassment, excessive 'political correctness,' etc., are all converging to make speech less robust on campuses than it has been historically."

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