New Mexico State University: State Lawmakers Call on NMSU to “Shield” Students from Speakers They Find Objectionable

On August 11, 2023, a collection of legislators, councilors, and commissioners in New Mexico wrote New Mexico State University to call on it to implement policies that would censor particular views on campus. Citing an April 2023 event featuring conservative commentator Matt Walsh, the letter claimed that assertedly “[w]elcoming a speaker who spouts harm and violence to a portion of the student population” violates the school’s anti-discrimination policy and contradicts its values. FIRE wrote NMSU on September 6, encouraging it to protect the expressive rights of students by not intervening in campus invitations based on viewpoint.