A new state law that regulates who can speak at public universities is changing how UT student organizations operate, and it's raising concerns about free speech.
The law, dubbed the "Campus Protection Act," requires student groups to get permission from university officials before inviting guest speakers to campus.
Members of the University Democrats, or UDems, said the policy disrupts practices that have been in place for years. UDems President Ally Flores said the group has hosted State Representative James Talarico, former Congressman Beto O'Rourke and other local politicians in recent years without having to go through UT officials. Under the new law, Flores said they need to request permission from the Dean of Students office two weeks in advance, and the approval process has led to delays.
"It just felt like the goal post was kind of ever moving, and we weren't able to figure out how they were choosing to implement this bill," Flores said.
She said the new law also affects UDem's voter registration efforts. The group has been inviting volunteer deputy voter registrars to campus for years. Last election cycle, Flores said UDems helped register 8,000 students to vote. Under the new law, volunteer registrars must be approved in advance and are only allowed in designated areas.
"And those places that they've designated are pretty low-traffic areas, so we wouldn't be able to register many people anyway," Flores said.
Guests who arrive on UT's campus without permission could be charged with criminal trespassing.
Joe Jaworski, a Democratic candidate for Texas attorney general and a recent speaker at UDems, said UT's interpretation of the new law imposes on free speech rights.
"To allow administrators to accept or reject, and I emphasize reject, an application for a speaker, is a prior restraint," Jaworski said.
UT did not agree to an interview for this story. KUT also reached out to UT's College Republicans chapter but did not hear back before publication time.
In addition to speaker restrictions, the law prohibits students from engaging in disruptive activities between the hours of 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. and prohibits using a device to amplify sound during the last two weeks of a semester.
The measure reverses a bill Texas legislators passed in 2019 that expanded free speech protections on public university campuses.
Several student organizations have filed a lawsuit against UT Austin President Jim Davis, UT Dallas President Prabhas V. Moghe, the UT Board of Regents and UT System Chancellor Dr. John Zerwas over the new law. They're calling on the U.S. District Court in Austin to issue a preliminary injunction, which would prevent enforcement of the law until a final ruling in the case.
That litigation is ongoing.
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