Sen Ernst cites Jewish student discrimination in bid to protect free speech on campuses

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, is looking to crack down on universities that receive federal funding but discriminate against students based on viewpoint in a new attempt to protect free speech on college campuses. 

The Iowa Republican will introduce a new bill on Thursday, the Students Bill of Rights Act of 2024, which would safeguard free speech on public campuses. 

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Sen. Joni Ernst is introducing a bill to set a standard of free speech and association protections for students at public institutions as Jewish students are persecuted amid the Israel war in Gaza. 

“Freedom of speech is a core American value that our heroes fought and died to secure – we must protect it for future generations,” Ernst said in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital. “I want college students in Iowa and across America to engage in debates, challenge their ideas, and express their viewpoints freely, without facing discrimination or abuse. Echo chambers only serve to stunt the developing mind.”

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Students participate in a protest in support of Palestine and for free speech outside of the Columbia University campus on November 15, 2023 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

According to Ernst’s office, the measure was prompted in part by concerns over the free expression of Jewish and pro-Israel students at various schools across the country amid the war between Israel and terrorist group Hamas. 

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The goal of the Iowa Republican’s bill is to push back on “left-wing activists on college campuses,” who she accuses of eroding First Amendment rights, as well as attacks on Jewish students, her office said. 

Ernst’s bill proposes a universal speech and association protection standard for any public universities and colleges that receive funding through Title IV. 

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It addresses four areas to protect students from viewpoint discrimination. The measure specifically carves out provisions to assure students are assisted in finding faculty sponsors or otherwise gaining recognition at their schools, mandating institutions to disclose fund distribution and security fee charges to student organizations, mandating they similarly disclose policies in place to protect guest speakers, and requiring that they implement disciplinary measures for any students who threaten the safety of speakers invited to campuses. 

Israeli demonstrators and student split image (AP Photo / iStock)

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Since the onset of the Israel war in Gaza, higher education institutions have become hotbeds for anti-Israel demonstrations. Prestigious schools have been accused of allowing threats and attacks against Jewish students to occur, even prompting a congressional hearing. 

At the same time, a group created to express support for Israel recently faced difficulty in its quest to gain recognition at Columbia University Law School, illustrating the obstacles for some students to organize.