by Leah Wankum and Steven Spears
Muleskinner Staff

Speech on campus is freer than ever, so state legislators say.

Students at Missouri public colleges and universities already enjoy limited freedoms of expression and assembly. However, legislation being debated on the Senate floor this week would effectively eliminate free speech zones on campus.

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education defines a speech zone as a policy that confines speech to one or more small and/or out-of-the-way areas of campus, rather than allowing for spontaneous student expression on all traditionally public areas of campus.

Proposed by Sen. Ed Emery, a Vernon County native, Senate bill 93 creates the Campus Free Expression Act. The act designates outdoor areas on campuses of public state colleges and universities to be traditional public forums, effective Aug. 28, according to the bill.

Samantha Harris, director of policy research with the FIRE, said the basic purpose of the bill is to prohibit institutions from adopting free speech zones, which restrict First Amendment rights.

“Obviously, restricting free speech to one location on campus prevents disruption,” Harris said. “But what this bill says is the outdoor areas of public campuses are to be treated as traditional public forums.”

In accordance with policies already in place at UCM, the act allows public colleges and universities to make reasonable time, place and manner restrictions on expression, using viewpoint-neutral criteria. For example, public speech activities at UCM may not impede pedestrian or vehicular traffic flow, take place in residential areas or interfere with educational and operational processes of the university.

Members of a campus community will still be able to spontaneously and concurrently assemble, according to the bill. University policy already states that free expression will not be limited to specific designated locations on campus.

Sen. David Pearce of the 21st District said a court of law would determine what kinds of restrictions are reasonable.

“There have been some terrible cases where folks just going through a quadrangle or the interior part of a campus were harassed, and terribly inappropriate things were said,” Pearce said. “And yet, that person has a right to do it. But can that be restricted to a certain time and place? And so, Senate bill 93 allows that.”

Pearce explained the Campus Free Expression Act at the board of governors meeting Friday, March 27. Jeff Murphy, assistant director of university relations, said the administration appreciates Pearce sharing the information about the bill.

“While the university generally does not comment on pending legislation, we greatly value individuals’ rights to freedom of expression in a way that does not impede the safety of others and the functioning of the university,” Murphy said. “We will continue to monitor this bill as it moves through the legislative process.”

The act protects the following expressive activities:

• All forms of peaceful assembly
• Protests
• Speeches
• Distribution of literature
• Carrying signs
• Circulating petitions

Should the expressive rights of any member of a Missouri public college or university be violated, Rep. Denny Hoskins of Warrensburg, Mo., said he or she can collect compensatory damages.

“Let’s say you want to have a debate in an open forum, and the university makes it next to impossible to have and puts you in the far corner of campus in order to have that debate and discussion and whatever else,” Hoskins said. “Then you could sue the university, and what you could collect would be $500 for the initial violation, plus $50 per day that the university did not let you express your freedom of expression on campus.”

While it is still being debated on the Senate floor, Hoskins said he plans on voting for the bill in its current form if it makes it to the House of Representatives.

“I believe students should have freedom of expression and freedom of speech and be able to relay that in an appropriate manner, time and place,” he said.

Harris said the bill does not allow institutions to restrict expression that was deemed inappropriate.

“The bill itself is a good thing for free speech on campus,” she said. “It would be a good thing.”

Room and board increase

Students living on campus will have to pay a little more for room and board starting in the fall.

The board of governors approved rate increases of 3 percent for housing and 4.5 percent for meal plans during open session Friday, March 27.

Patrick Bradley, director of housing and dining services, said the cost of meal plans was raised 1.5 percent to meet contractual obligations with Sodexo.

“In exchange for allowing us to extend (their contract), they would improve Fitzgerald dining center and also build new concepts in the Crossing,” Bradley said. “So what we’re allowing Sodexo to do then is to gradually recoup some of that investment, because that did not cost the university to build out Fitzgerald. And it’s not costing the university to build out Starbucks and Spin. So in exchange for (Sodexo) investing that kind of money into our properties, we allowed them to increase 1.5 percent for that.”

Bradley said board rates were raised an additional 3 percent to meet the food away from home consumer price index for urban consumers, which is a cost of living increase.

Housing costs will rise due to the growth of personnel costs, utilities and property insurance, according to the funding proposal presented at the board of governors meeting.

Bradley said room rates were not increased last year because the Learning to a Greater Degree initiative required sophomores to live in campus housing. He said the affected students were not notified soon enough, so the university decided to keep costs down.

Bradley said university housing is completely self-supporting and does not get financial help from the state government. He said it operates solely on housing revenue, and any overages get funneled back into the residence halls.

“Any income over expenses we have in any given year, we get to pour back into building improvements in the halls,” Bradley said. “So far, we’re planning on spending about $4 million worth of building improvements. So it’s not like we’re banking all this and I get a chance to personally gain by it.”

The improvements university housing is planning to begin next year include:

• A new cooling tower for the air conditioning system in Fitzgerald Hall

• A new fire alarm system in Fitzgerald Hall

• Several elevator improvements this summer

• A renovation of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system in Houts-Hosey Hall

• Replacement of certain roofing

• Replacement of the Greenwood Park community building

• Phase two of replacing lounge furniture throughout the housing system

• A refurbishment and upgrade of Diemer Hall

Additionally, Bradley said both Yeater and Diemer halls will be taken offline next year in order to make improvements.

“Both are buildings that are not air conditioned,” Bradley said. “So in Diemer we’re expecting that price tag to come in anywhere from $1.5 to 2 million to do a major refurbishment upgrade there. So we’re going to easily, easily spend the money that we hope to have for building improvements.”

Shari Bax, vice provost for student experience and engagement, said The Crossing—South at Holden will in no way be affected by the room rate increase this year.

“We had those rates set in advance because we knew we needed to start advertising to students so that they could make a decision,” Bax said. “Next year at this time, when we bring a recommendation concerning room and board rates, all of the rates will be addressed.”

Three new certificate programs added

The department of educational leadership and human development is starting three new certificate programs, effective fall 2016.

The board of governors approved the creation of these programs in academic advising in higher education, community college leadership, and diversity and inclusion in higher education during their meeting Friday, March 27.

Falling under the college student personnel administration graduate program, the certificate programs will function as continuing education for student affairs professionals.

“We are hoping to target professionals who already work in the Kansas City area who, for one reason or another, got into their positions without necessarily having the academic background for those positions,” said Robert Bowman, chair of the college student personnel master’s program.

Bowman said attracting the interest of Kansas City professionals who may need developmental courses was a large factor in the creation of the programs.

“At present we have more students in our program from the state of Wisconsin than we do from the Kansas City area,” Bowman said. “I think it’s probably time that we do something about that.”

The new programs will be offered at the UCM Summit Center, the university’s Lee’s Summit campus, and require 18 credit hours of coursework, according to proposals presented at the board of governors meeting.

Bowman said the credit hours received for each certificate are transferable to the college student personnel master’s program and will constitute roughly two-thirds of the program’s required hours.

“We are very hopeful that the folks who finish those certificates will become interested in completing the entire master’s degree, which we’re also going to be offering in the Lee’s Summit area,” he said.

Bowman said university resources are limited, so proposals that don’t request funding have a better chance of approval. He said the creation of the programs do not add additional cost or faculty requirements to the university.

Deborah Curtis, UCM provost-chief learning officer, said the addition of these programs are in line with the work the university hopes to be doing at the UCM Lee’s Summit facility and here on campus.

“We identify areas of need that are not necessarily degree-seeking needs but areas that will enhance students’ portfolios as well as our colleagues in the field who identify an area of need for certification from the institution,” Curtis said.

Posthumous degree awarded

The board of governors awarded a posthumous degree to a UCM student who was killed in an automobile accident last fall.

Kelsey Toebben was supposed to graduate with a degree in interior design. President Chuck Ambrose brought the matter before the board in open session Friday, March 27. The board approved her degree without hesitation.

“We have honored students who have gotten within basically a year of graduation, and by one circumstance or the other, have had their lives shortened,” Ambrose said.

Grace Toebben, Kelsey’s mother, said she and her husband Don are honored to receive the degree for their daughter.

“I wasn’t even aware that this could be a possibility,” Toebben said. “It’s very humbling for us.”

Lindsay Martin, senior interior design major and one of Kelsey’s friends, said she thinks the posthumous degree is a great idea.

“She really was so close to graduating,” Martin said. “We were talking about graduation. We were picking colors for our senior show back in September. She knew it was coming. She was ready.”

Martin said she wasn’t that close with Kelsey, but she knew her as a hard worker.

“If at the beginning of the semester the professor would talk about the projects we’re going to do, she’d say, ‘OK, let’s knock them out today,’” she said.

“She’d try her damnedest to do that in one day. I think that’s why I love her. She was like, ‘Let’s get it done!’ I love talking about her, but sometimes I just don’t know what to say.”

Grace said her daughter was a good student who really liked Warrensburg.

“She would have done so well in her life, and part of it was greatly due to being a student there,” she said. “She really would have done so well.”