Student association wants to 'silence conservatives,' attorneys argue

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Student Association is “attempting to silence conservatives by closing ‘free speech loopholes’ on campus.”

That is the claim made by the Southeastern Legal Foundation, which sent a letter Nov. 19 to the student body, expressing concern that a recent pro-life display on campus triggered the student association to find new ways to infringe on free speech. 

The case against the student association is currently in pre-litigation, according to SLF’s website. 

[RELATED: Montclair disbands ‘Bias Education Response Taskforce’ in free speech lawsuit settlement]

Amillia Heredia, president of the student association and to whom the letter was addressed, sent Campus Reform a statement denying SLF’s accusations. 

“Student Association is not attempting to silence any UWM students, nor prohibit anyone from exercising the First Amendment,” Heredia writes. “Student Association has not considered nor produced legislation prohibiting individuals on the campus from exercising their freedom of speech, nor is it attempting to close so called [sic] ‘freedom of speech loopholes’.”

Heredia continued: 

“It should be noted that any future legislation would have to compile with the First Amendment. The mission of the Student Association is to advocate and to represent the student body, and we encourage students to bring any concerns they have pertaining to activities on campus - which includes incidents that have caused them harm or distress. We will continue to remain accessible to the students of UW-Milwaukee and advocate on their behalf. Student Association will continue to operate under its mission, and provide support, resources, and initiatives on behalf of its student body.”

Campus Reform also spoke with SLF attorney Celia O’Leary, who said the November letter was meant to remind the student association about students’ First Amendment rights. 

“The goal of this letter is to remind the UWM Student Association that it has a duty to protect all kinds of speech on college campuses—including even the most offensive speech,” O’Leary said. 

[RELATED: OU prof responds to FIRE: Speech in classroom is ‘different than freedom of speech’]

She added, “We expect the UWM Student Association to take this letter seriously, to familiarize itself with the First Amendment, and to refrain from taking any action that could violate the First Amendment rights of speakers on campus.”

Campus Reform reached out to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for comment; this article will be updated accordingly.