Freedom of speech is clearly authorized in the First Amendment to the Constitution.

But where does the right of individuals to protest controversial speakers clash with the university’s security protocols?

Students, faculty, members of the community and academic speakers surely possess it. When it comes down to that right, should the Martin community be more afraid of academic scholars communicating controversial topics on their turf, or should those speakers rigorously fear a negative response from their audience?

Dr. Dan McDonough, Director of the Honors Program, said that choosing a potential academic speaker to appear on campus is the joint decision of the faculty.

“In about April of every year, we send an e-mail to the faculty and staff to elicit suggestions of who we can bring to speak on campus. There are some speakers we can’t afford to pay, so we do the best we can with a limited budget,” McDonough said.

To arrange for a speaker to appear on campus, McDonough often consults an online database, Keppler Speakers on Campus.

“Security has never been a factor in deciding whether to bring in an academic speaker or not. The level of security depends on the degree of controversy with the speaker,” said McDonough.

When Professor Nadine Strossen, President of the American Civil Liberties Union, appeared on campus September 27, she drew a crowd of protestors outside the Elam Center.

“None of the protestors are what I would call a security risk,” said McDonough.

“It’s better to be safe than sorry in these situations. I don’t think this is the kind of area in which our speakers have to be concerned about their physical safety. Security is one of the last things we factor in because we have a lot of confidence in our Public Safety.

“With some speakers we don’t have much coordination with Public Safety because there really isn’t that much of a threat level. If Public Safety thinks there is something to be concerned about, they would know how to handle it. I think it’s best to rely on the professionals to assess the threat level that may be associated with the speakers,” said McDonough.

Director of Public Safety Richard Hatler said security measures for the academic speaker and audience are always considered. “We want to ensure the speakers that come on campus that they can present their ideas in an orderly fashion so the community can reap the benefits of that person’s knowledge and expertise. We contact representatives of the speakers on issues in which they have been involved that might create a security concern.

“When speakers are making a presentation on political or emotional issues they are more likely to elicit an emotional response from the audience as compared to someone who is merely there to entertain the crowd. There are normally two sides to every emotional issue, so some in the crowd could be opposed to the speaker or people in the crowd could be against those who are opposed to the speaker.

So there is a potential for conflict between the crowd and the speaker or between audience members.

“We prepare a security plan based on the issues related to the speaker and the topic. We execute that plan so the speaker can present his material in an effective manner. The audience needs to know that they can come and listen to the presentation in a secure environment,” said Hatler.