Ethics, Palin and the Weather(above)Ground
Monday, October 6th, 2008UPDATED: The University of Illinois reverses controversial ban on political activity.
“We, the leadership of the University of Illinois, will preserve, protect and defend the constitutionally guaranteed rights of every member of our university community,” university President Joseph White said in a public advisory. Certain activities barred under the earlier interpretation, he wrote, “conflict, or appear to conflict, with fundamental freedoms.”
Read article HERE.
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September 24th, the University of Illinois released a memo about upcoming elections and reminded employees that they are bound to the State Officials and Employees Ethic Acts, which prohibits First Amendment granted rights their involvement in political activity on campus.
After all buttons announcing their partisanship are junked, employees can proceed to encourage and register students and other employees to vote–in a sterile, non-real world, non partisan manner. The Button Police won’t be patrolling, says the University Ethics Office, but still, Cary Nelson, “believes he is now violating campus policy when he drives to work because he has a bumper sticker that proclaims: “MY SAMOYED IS A DEMOCRAT.”
This story has already been blogged, here and here.
Weatherson has a good analysis about political advocacy on campus.
But I discovered an interesting tie-in. (more…)