Award-winning student journalist’s public records requests remain unfulfilled for more than 18 months.
On April 23, 2024, Elizabeth Wilson, a student journalist at Mustang News, the student paper at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly), sued the university for violating the California Public Records Act by refusing to disclose public records she requested more than 18 months ago. Wilson made the requests while researching stories on campus sexual assault, labor violations alleged by Cal Poly student employees, and a top administrator’s failure to respond to
Update: On April 23, 2024, FAC sued Cal Poly for its failure to comply with the CPRA. See more about this case here. On June 16, 2023, the First Amendment Coalition sent the following letter to California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) regarding its failure to comply with the California Public Records Act regarding five separate records requests by Elizabeth Wilson, a student journalist at Mustang News, the campus newspaper.
The new Title IX regulations make it easier to report sexual harassment and abolishes the requirement for live hearings with cross-examination and the right to confront accusers. (Inside Higher Education, April 19, 2024, by Katherine Knott) FIRE thinks the regulations violate student free speech rights and eliminate due process for students accused of sexual harassment. (Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, April 19, 2024, press release) For related FAC coverage, click here.
The nation’s universities are taking a less tolerant view of disruptive protests and are suspending or expelling students. The schools are reacting to criticism by conservative alums and donors but also are moved by the realization that protests are so disruptive that they have a negative effect on learning. Administrators are clamping down in the face of criticism that their role is to foster debate no matter how contrary it gets. (The New York Times,