On September 19th, Dr. James R. Stoner of Louisiana State University visited campus to speak on “The Positive Freedom of Speech” during Discourse in Democracy’s annual Constitution Day celebration. Dr. Stoner spoke about the purposes which the constitutional guarantee of free speech was intended to serve and addressed the question whether government had a legitimate role in limiting speech in order to ensure rational discourse in public life. In the course of his day on campus, Dr. Stoner spoke to 80 students from New Braunfels High School who were enrolled in AP government classes and held two seminars for Texas State political science students. His evening lecture in Alkek Teaching Theater was attended by more than 350 students and faculty. Dr. Stoner also had lunch and dinner with undergraduate and graduate students from the political science program.
A graduate student in the political science program, Adam Henley, said that the seminar he attended “was fantastic. About 15 students and faculty discussed the limits of free speech and explored various historical and contemporary controversies surrounding it, including the current debates about free speech on America’s campuses. All in all, it was a rewarding conversation about a subject that is quite relevant to our times.”
After the evening lecture, Drs. Jo Ann Carson (Philosophy), Vaughn Baltzly (Philosophy), Elizabeth Bishop (History), Rudy Hernandez (Political Science), and Paul DeHart (Political Science) commented and raised questions, as did several students in the audience. Following the event, a number of students huddled around Dr. Stoner to extend the conversation for an additional hour. Texas State University President Dr. Denise Trauth and Provost Dr. Gene Bourgeois attended the lecture.
