College Charging Fee for Right to Witness
A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of a Pellissippi State Community College student in Tennessee who was told he would have to pay a fee to share his Christian faith.
Mark Dew was also told he would have to apply weeks in advance for permission to speak about his faith and hand out free literature. But Casey Mattox of the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) believes there is a complete lack of understanding of First Amendment rights at Pellissippi State and many campuses throughout the country.
“ADF is working to try to remind these universities…that the First Amendment does apply to students, and [that] every student has a right to free speech on their campus,” Mattox explains.
But in this particular case, he says Dew was eventually told he was not part of a recognized group and therefore was prohibited from speaking about his faith on campus.
“This is clearly a policy that violates the First Amendment,” the ADF attorney contends. “The First Amendment does not allow for a three-week waiting period on speech, and it certainly doesn’t allow for universities to charge students simply to be able to share their faith — and that’s what’s happening here.”
So Mattox hopes the lawsuit will remind the school and the Tennessee Board of Regents of their responsibility to comply with the First Amendment.
(Source: OneNewsNow)
