Statement by Yomin Postelnik
Candidate for Florida House District 91
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Media Contact: L. Postelnik
(954) 353-5955, info@abetterflorida.com
Freedom of Speech and of Association are not only absolute rights in any fair and just society. They are not only founding principles of American exceptionalism. They are necessary parts of any true academic growth.
Florida Atlantic University has recently come under fire for threatening the editor of the University Press, Karla Bowsher, with suspension for having spoken with a former advisor to the paper, one with a constitutuionalist outlook. The administration employee who threatened her, Media Director Marti Harvey, claimed to have done so at the behest of FAU’s legal department.
YAF, Young Americans for Freedom, have taken a lead role in fighting back against this affront to freedom of thought and against the needless censorship of the University Press. Palm Beach County Chairman James Shackelford alerted our campaign that Marti Harvey is now enforcing a “fairness doctrine” on student radio. He has also provided us with information that calls into question her fitness to be in a position of authority, much less an educational one. The documentation provided is disturbing and is reason enough for a state level inquiry into the university’s suppression of the constitutional rights of its students.
The recent incidents at FAU are not isolated ones. A county YAF chair was previously threatened by Florida Atlantic University security after voicing conservative views in a speech to a group of students. This type of intimidation has no place in a just society. Open dialogue is key to developing the minds of students. Our universities should not serve as centers of indoctrination and the only way to prevent this is to investigate and possibly curb state funding for universities that engage in illegal practices.
Threatening a student for the mere act of conversing with a former advisor after hours, as was done by Harvey, is nothing less than shameful. We commend Mr. Shackelford for reaching out to our campaign and we have agreed to work with him on resolving this matter.
Florida Atlantic University has made many contributions to the state and to its educational system. Our campaign has praised its work on Oceanic Energies exploration. We hope and believe that the administration will resolve this matter. Absent that, our campaign is committed to pushing for a state level investigation. Universities that receive state funds do so in order to function as leaders in higher education. The State of Florida should not and cannot condone state funded curbing of free speech.
We look forward to assisting Young Americans of Freedom in achieving speedy resolution of this issue.
