The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, an advocacy group, named Cal State Long Beach to its list of 10 worst of the worst U.S. campuses for free speech.

The Philadelphia-based group, which is also known as FIRE, also included Cal State Los Angeles on its list, alongside private institutions including Harvard and Georgetown universities.

Cal State Long Beach ended up on the list following last years events that led to Michele Roberge, the former Carpenter Performing Arts Center director, resigning in protest after school officials declined to support the performance of a potentially controversial theater performance

The performance, Speak Theater Arts N*igger Wetb*k Ch*nk, is a satire of racial stereotypes featuring performers of African, Latino and Asian descent. The Carpenter Center had booked the show for a September 2016 performance that never took place.

Peter Bonilla, FIREs vice president of programs, said in a telephone interview that its obvious from the shows title that the performers are seeking to be provocative, adding the campus did the right thing by letting Speak Theater Arts show go on in 2015.

But what he described as the campuss particular stubbornness and refusal to reverse itself on the shows cancellation last year warranted Cal State Long Beachs inclusion on FIREs list of the worst campuses for free speech.

Its a shame it didnt follow its own script this year, he said.

Campus spokeswoman Terri Carbaugh replied to FIREs list by accusing the organization of ignoring the day-to-day nature of political expression on the campus.

FIREs survey techniques are questionable at best, she said in an email. On any given day a visitor to campus will hear speech ranging from the far right to the far left and everywhere in between. Our campus not only embraces, but teaches the value of, free speech in all forms and is home to a renowned First Amendment rights center.

She also defended the campus environment for artists.

On any given day you could also see a broad array of art projects that meld inside and outside of the mainstream, from the outrageous to the mild mannered, Carbaugh added.

Last year, campus President Jane Close Conoley and Roberge gave different accounts to explain why last years performance was canceled.

Conoley said in September the performance could have gone forward, but she declined to ask faculty and other campus employees to develop educational content related to the social issues involved with the performance, as was the case about the time of the shows 2015 performance.

Advertisement

Roberge, however, said Conoley ordered the shows cancellation. She resigned in protest shortly thereafter and continues to say the decision to cancel the show came from the presidents office.

It was a complete alternative fact, Roberge said Wednesday of Conoleys past description of events.

Roberge said she has not landed at a new job since leaving Carpenter Center, but said her stance led to the Association of Performing Arts Presenters honoring her with its North American Performing Arts Managers and Agents Award for Excellence in Presenting.

I stood up for the artists, and I stood up for the voice of the artists, Roberge said.

FIREs Chief Executive Greg Lukianoff revealed the groups reasons for including 10 schools on its worst of the worst list in a Huffington Post op-ed piece published Wednesday. The list calls out institutions for reported suppressions of conservative, liberal and apolitical expression.

Cal State Los Angeles made the list for events surrounding conservative commentator Ben Shapiros appearance on campus in February 2015. That campuss president allowed Shapiro to appear after a previous decision to cancel his appearance in the interest of safety and security. Protesters blocked people from listening to Shapiros on-campus remarks.

Other instances, as described by FIRE:

Harvard University made the list for administrators reported attempt to blacklist students enrolled in single-gender organizations like fraternities and sororities from certain scholarships and student leadership posts.

Georgetown University received criticism after its law school stopped students from campaigning on behalf of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders while he was seeking the Democratic Partys presidential nomination in 2015. Georgetown altered its policy, but Lukianoffs post asserted pro-Sanders students continued to experience difficulties afterward.

Go here to read the rest:

CSULB makes 'worst of the worst' list for free speech - Long Beach Press Telegram