WASHINGTON, D.C. – Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) is continuing their National Fight for Free Speech campaign. YAL is planning events on campuses nationwide to promote the ideas of civil liberties and freedom of speech. The blatant disregard for freedom of expression as protected by the First Amendment must end. YAL has 100 campuses already committed to reforming unconstitutional speech codes and removing “free speech zones.”
Upon the relaunching of the National Fight for Free Speech campaign, Young Americans for Liberty announces the addition of Alexander Staudt as the Director of Free Speech. Alex, a Cedar Falls native, graduated from the University of Iowa in 2016 with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Entrepreneurial Management. He has vast political experience, recently serving as the Students for Rand chapter president at the University of Iowa, and the Regional Grassroots Coordinator for the Republican Party of Iowa.
As a recent college graduate, Alex offers a unique perspective on the Free Speech debate currently taking place on our university campuses. Each week it seems we are reading headlines highlighting overbearing and unconstitutional restrictions implemented by university administrations from across the country. The latest of which being from Alex’s alma mater, the University of Iowa, in which a professor argues that the university mascot — Herky the Hawk — possesses a grimace that is ‘too aggressive’ for the ‘fragile’ students.
“It’s imperative that First Amendment rights are protected and valued across all college campuses. Historically, universities have served as a beacon of intellectual thought and we cannot let these open discussions become stifled,” Alex Staudt, YAL Director of Free Speech, said. “At Young American’s for Liberty we are leading the national Fight for Free Speech campaign on campuses across America in order to promote an environment that engages in a marketplace of ideas through healthy debates, which we believe is fundamental to a free society.”
