Over the past 10 days, student media director Marti Harvey has repeatedly told UP staffers they can't talk to me about journalism.
“You may not meet with him off campus or on campus for the purpose of advising,” she told EIC Karla Bowsher on June 3 and repeated the next day in front of 15 people at our weekly staff meeting.
To do so, Marti said, “is going outside your scope of authority.” She reminded Karla, “As an employee, you are subject to the policies of FAU.”
Those policies include dragging Karla before a student conduct court, but Marti refused to elaborate on any possible punishment.
Last week, the Society of Professional Journalists wrote a letter supporting the students' right to meet with whoever they want.
FAU President Mary Jane Saunders wrote back on Thursday...
As far as I am concerned, all members of the FAU community, including students, faculty and staff, have an inherent right to speak out on any issue, meet with any person or group, and publish their thoughts and opinions in any news venue.
So I guess that means Marti was wrong. Right?
Then again, FAU is known for its super-precise interpretation of its own words. At the same time Saunders sent her letter to SPJ, Student Affairs VP Charles Brown sent one, too...
At no time was the editor-in-chief threatened with student conduct charges nor have steps been taken to limit the editor's freedom of speech.
The first half of that sentence is true. Marti never uttered the words "student conduct court." She simply insisted Karla was "subject to the policies of FAU" – which, for students, means conduct court. But Marti would repeat "no comment" when asked if that's what she meant.
So I suppose Brown thinks he's quite clever here. But it reminds me of my brother sticking his finger an inch from my face when we were kids and taunting, "I'm not touching you!" Strictly true. And really silly.
As for claiming FAU hasn't tried to "limit the editor's freedom of speech," that's going to require a lot more linguistic immaturity.
Lawyers at both the ACLU and Student Press Law Center have said FAU can't punish students for what they legally do off campus. Then again, Brown may be craftier than I give him credit for.
Banning students from meeting with me off campus is a violation of the First Amendment's right to peaceably assemble – not "freedom of speech."
I'm not touching you...
