\n<\/p>\n
Free speech\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0free at Texas universities.\u00a0Apparently, it\u00a0comes with strings attached, or at least\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0what\u00a0I was told when I tried to host a pro-life event that got so derailed, I had to call on Students for Life of America\u2019s (SFLA) attorneys\u00a0for a demand letter\u00a0to try and get it back on track.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not just me. Students\u00a0at the University of Texas, both at Dallas and Austin,\u00a0are suing<\/span><\/a> the University of Texas system after being censored when schools used a Texas law as an excuse to limit free speech on college campuses. While the law is not currently enforceable, college campuses across Texas are still holding strong to their censorship regime \u2014 and it\u2019s up to students to stand up for their rights.<\/p>\n My story began\u00a0when I tried to host<\/span><\/a>\u00a0a speaker on campus at the\u00a0University of Texas as part of my SFLA activities.\u00a0Rather than welcoming pro-life voices, the university demanded almost complete disassociation from SFLA for the event to go on, which made the\u00a0event itself\u00a0virtually impossible.<\/p>\n More specifically, the office told my group that our event could not include branded or promotional materials featuring both the outside organization and my student organization, Horns for Life; help managing the event; filming for social media; or co-sponsorship with SFLA or any off-campus organization.<\/p>\n That not only\u00a0impacted\u00a0my free speech rights, but my freedom of association, too.<\/p>\n In 2019,\u00a0when\u00a0Texas passed\u00a0Senate Bill 18<\/span><\/a>, it reinforced\u00a0Supreme Court precedent<\/span><\/a>\u00a0that\u00a0outdoor campus spaces\u00a0are\u00a0public forums, thereby ensuring free speech protections at universities. In a total betrayal of these values,\u00a0Texas passed\u00a0Senate Bill 2972<\/span><\/a>, or the Campus Protection Act, in September 2025 under the guise of protecting campuses from disruptions and preserving safety during \u201cend-of-term\u201d periods and even during specific times of the day.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Campus Protection Act\u00a0stopped students from\u00a0engaging in acts of speech\u00a0between 10 pm and 8 am, as well as\u00a0from bringing guest speakers, amplifying sound, or using\u00a0percussive instruments\u00a0at demonstrations\u00a0in the final two weeks of each semester.\u00a0It is extremely broad, even disallowing student speech in private conversations, whether in dorm rooms or outdoor meeting spaces.<\/p>\n \u201cThe First Amendment\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0set when the sun goes down,\u201d\u00a0said FIRE senior supervising attorney<\/span><\/a>\u00a0JT Morris. \u201cUniversity students have expressive freedom whether it\u2019s midnight or midday, and Texas can\u2019t just legislate those constitutional protections out of existence.\u201d<\/p>\n The bill was so unprecedented and broad that the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas issued an injunction\u00a0stopping the law from being enforced<\/span><\/a>\u00a0only a month later.<\/p>\n Despite the injunction, Texas universities continue to\u00a0use these rules at the campus policy level.\u00a0UT Austin cites SB 2972 as a justification for their policy that \u201cstates that a guest speaker may not staff a table or set up exhibits.\u201d<\/p>\n Not only is pro-life speech being targeted, but religious speech and expression as well.<\/p>\n A group of students has sued the UT system and its various representatives on behalf of their Texas college groups, including\u00a0The Fellowship of Christian University Students at UT-Dallas,<\/span><\/a>\u00a0after they were\u00a0prevented from bringing a minister<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to campus to pray for them during their class finals.<\/p>\n Texas Woman\u2019s University\u00a0enacted regulations on free speech,<\/span><\/a>\u00a0calling it a \u201climited public forum.\u201d\u00a0The school placed\u00a0limits on the times, places, and methods in which students can demonstrate on campus\u00a0while telling them<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u201cnothing in this policy may be construed to limit or infringe on a person\u2019s right to freedom protected by the United States and Texas Constitutions,\u201d\u00a0as if the rules do not inherently do exactly this.\u00a0Texas\u00a0Tech University\u2019s Lubbock\u00a0campus also has\u00a0similar rules<\/span><\/a>\u00a0now coming under fire.<\/p>\n While it is always advisable to follow campus rules, that does not mean\u00a0Texas\u00a0students cannot challenge them\u00a0in the courts\u00a0or otherwise.<\/p>\n Disallowing all guest speakers, claiming a limited public forum, imposing time limits, and limiting amplified sound\u00a0all have precedent for being\u00a0deemed\u00a0impermissible\u00a0in certain circumstances, especially if the university is using Senate Bill 2972 as an excuse to enforce these rules.<\/p>\n Using field representatives or coordinators\u00a0from affiliate organizations to assist students in challenging university decisions against student organizations is a great first step. SFLA staff are equipped and eager to help our students.\u00a0Additionally, reaching out to organizations like\u00a0FIRE<\/span><\/a>\u00a0allows student\u00a0groups without resources from a larger organization to\u00a0seek\u00a0help navigating legal\u00a0routes<\/span><\/a>\u00a0addressing\u00a0free speech challenges.<\/p>\n A\u00a0university is a\u00a0place\u00a0to\u00a0experience\u00a0new ideas, diverse opinions, and freedom of discourse. The acts of tabling on campus and hosting speakers are not separate from this mission.<\/p>\n These unconstitutional rules do not disappear on their own. To see students\u2019 free speech rights protected on university campuses again, students must speak up against\u00a0the\u00a0injustices happening on their campus\u00a0and beyond\u00a0\u2014\u00a0and\u00a0the courts must follow their lead.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Tiffany Lomax is a senior student at the University of Texas at Austin. She serves as president of the Horns for Life chapter, where she is involved in pro-life advocacy and organizing events on campus. \u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n