(a) The general assembly finds and declares that public institutions of higher education in Tennessee are not immune from the sweep of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution or the Constitution of Tennessee, Article I, § 19, which guarantees freedom of speech and expression.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 49-7-2403

  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • faculty: shall include tenured and non-tenured professors, adjunct professors, visiting professors, lecturers, graduate student instructors, and those in comparable positions, however titled. See Tennessee Code 49-7-2404
  • Free speech: means speech, expression, or assemblies protected by the First Amendment to the . See Tennessee Code 49-7-2404
(b) It is the intent of the general assembly that the public institutions of higher education embrace a commitment to the freedom of speech and expression for all students and all faculty.
(c) It is further the intent of the general assembly that public institutions of higher education, including their faculty, shall not require students or other faculty to adopt or to indicate their adherence to beliefs or orthodoxies on any particular political, philosophical, religious, social, or other such subject, although institutions may require students and faculty to conform their conduct to the requirements of law and policy.
(d) It is further the intent of the general assembly that public institutions of higher education not stifle freedom of speech and expression by implementing vague or overbroad speech codes, establishing free speech zones, imposing unconstitutional prior restraints on speech, or disinviting speakers based on the anticipated reaction or opposition of others to the content of speech.
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