Schools don’t need to allow for free speech.
That being said, I expect the ACLU to come swooping in to save the Young Republicans.

Greg, the school isn’t being asked to allow for free speech. The school is being asked not to punish the College Republicans for their speech, and not to pressure them to make statements that they don’t believe.
And there’s no way that the ACLU will help the College Republicans. If they get involved, it’ll be on the side of the university to protect the sacred right of public universities to force students to pay for speech they hate.

I think President Carothers has been as as clear and unambiguous as I can ever recall him being, in directing that the URI Student Senate take no punative actions toward the URI College Republicans because of what is clearly protected political speech. The First Amendment isn’t only for protecting the speech we agree with — I just wish some of the student senate folks understood that.
While the URI Student Senate may like to consider themselves as an “independent” organization, they simply are not. They derive all of their authority, as well as their finances, both directly and indirectly from the university. Unless I hear otherwise, I’m not under the impression that President Carothers is championing the URI CR’s cause on it’s considerable First Amendment merits alone. One of the unwritten jobs of a head of a college is to avoid unnecessary litagation, as well as bad press.
Carothers knows all too well that the university, as well as the Student Senate, both corporately and individually, could have considerable exposure in the event of a civil rights’ lawsuit brought on behalf of the members of the URI CR’s for violating their Constitutionally protected rights at a state and federally financed university. Regardless of any possible alterior motives, I’m very glad that President Carothers has publicly put himself on the right side of this issue. Regardless of your own personal thoughts about the particulars of this “controversy,” this is about a whole lot more than the College Republicans.
PS I’ve talked with Ryan several times over the past few days, and I think he has handled himself in the media superbly — and there’s likely to be more coming. I don’t think many are used to people standing their ground on principle alone, especially on college campuses.

“The big issue is they did not identify it as satire …”
Ahem. Satire doesn’t usually come with a warning label.
The URI Student Senate is attempting to compel speech. (Please note that this is unconstitutional, honorable Solons.) In doing so, they have ventured into the arena of Joseph Stalin’s government.

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE APRIL 19, 2007 The Rhode Island Republican Assembly (RIRA) hereby announces its support for the University of Rhode Island College Republicans (www.urigop.org) in their efforts to exercise their Constitutional rights and uphold the tradition of spirited political discourse in America. The Founding Fathers recognized the critical importance of free and unfettered political speech, as embodied in the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. RIRA applauds President Carothers, who appears to understand the critical importance of political free speech, particularly in an academic setting whose very raison d’être includes the rough-and-tumble competition between competing ideas and sometimes unpopular viewpoints. Though the membership of the URI Student Senate have a right to disagree with the content of an advertisement, their efforts to demonize those who put forth differing intellectual ideals (White Heterosexual American Male Scholarship) indicate weakness in their chosen position; those arguing from a compelling position enthusiastically engage in vigorous discourse, while those whose position is weak or indefensible seek victory by hobbling those with whom they disagree. In today’s politics of extremism, it must be understood that when a member of the majority has an opinion that some members in the minority disagree with, the offered opinion does not automatically constitute racism or discriminatory intent. Based upon the views being forwarded by the URI Student Senate and other URI students, one may say that the Black Caucus and the Hispanic Caucus in Congress are discriminatory and they should therefore apologize to the nation and be disbanded. The Rhode Island Republican Assembly is an organization that believes in equality — not only among and between individuals, but also among and between the provisions of the Constitution of the United States, such as the Tenth Amendment; the Second Amendment … and the First Amendment!… Read more »

How is it that Negro, women’s, Mexican, etc. college scholarships are legal but white only isn’t?

Of course the ACLU is supporting the College Republicans. This isn’t even close to being a constitutional grey area. It is clearly political speech aimed not at inciting violence, but at making a political statement. It doesn’t matter whether it was intended to be satirical or not.
Last time I checked a student body that receives public funding cannot abridge the First Amendment.
The CR’s should immediately call for the URI administration to cease funding the Student Senate and require all members of the Student Seante to attend a seminar on the Constitution.

George,
The scholarships you mentioned are based on ethnicity, not race. Tiger Woods would be eligible for a Dutch-American scholarship, but most people would not consider Tiger Woods to be “white” even though he is part Dutch.
I wonder if a white African possessing US citizenship, perhaps descending from South Africa or another former British colony, would be eligible for scholarships offered to African Americans?

Mike: “How is it that…Mexican…college scholarships are legal but white only isn’t?”
George: “There are scholarships for italian americans, irish americans, every other dash americans you can think of.”
Anthony: “The scholarships you mentioned are based on ethnicity, not race.”
“Mexican” is not a race.