SpeechMatters UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement

Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court closed out its blockbuster term with expression-related decisions that affect the national regulatory and higher education landscape. Leading constitutional scholar and UC Berkeley School of Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky joins SpeechMatters to share both his insights on this Supreme Court term and his reflections on the tumultuous past year on campus.
Episode Resources
NY Times Opinion: "The First Amendment is Out of Control" by Tim WuACLU: "Why is the ACLU Representing the NRA Before the US Supreme Court" by Anthony D. RomeroFreedom Forum: First Amendment Supreme Court Cases: 2023-2024 Term

Last season, as generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots dominated the national headlines, we explored the impact of new technologies on teaching, research and learning at colleges and universities. This year, we return to the topic of AI, with a focus on how the technology is affecting our election and information systems. Jonathan Mehta Stein, executive director of California Common Cause, joins us to discuss election protection, including the California Initiative for Technology and Democracy (CITED), Common Cause’s newest effort to fight technology based-threats to democracy.
Episode Resources:
CITED – California Initiative for Technology and DemocracyCITED Report: Democracy on Edge in the Digital AgeCA Common Cause – Three Bills Addressing Dangers of AI to Elections Pass Assembly FloorLA Times “Opinion: AI is turbocharging disinformation attacks on voters, especially in communities of color”Washington Post “In Arizona, election workers trained with deepfakes to prepare for 2024” Center on Technology Policy at UNC Chapel Hill Report: The new political ad machine: Policy frameworks for political ads in an age of AI

The anti-Gaza war protests and encampments that have taken place at universities across the country have drawn the attention of everyone from the President to the media and members of Congress, provoking comparisons with the student movements of the 1960s. Robert Cohen, the foremost expert on UC Berkeley’s Free Speech Movement (1964) and its famed orator Mario Savio, joins us to discuss what we can learn from the past and the present in order to be prepared for what lies ahead. 
Episode Resources:
LA Times “Opinion: Today’s protests are tamer than the campus unrest of the 1960s. So why the harsh response?”94.2 KPFA “A History of Student Movements”

Paulette Granberry Russell, president of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE), discusses the wide and deep impacts that ongoing legislative attacks on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs, officers and trainings have on higher education.
Episode Resources:
Chronicle of Higher Ed DEI Legislation TrackerNADOHE Legislation ResourcesNADOHE Communication Guide"DEI Isn't Scary; Political Purges Are by Ryan A. Miller

Jim Grossman, executive director of the American Historical Association (AHA) joins the podcast to discuss how “divisive concepts” legislation creates challenges for the teaching and learning of history that compromise democratic values and institutions. Throughout the conversation, Grossman points to the vital role that facts, critical thinking and source credibility play in maintaining an informed and engaged public. 
Episode Resources:
https://time.com/6917632/history-wars-teacher-survey/   https://www.historians.org/divisive-concepts-statement  https://www.historians.org/news-and-advocacy/teaching-history-with-integrity/freedom-to-learnhttps://www.chronicle.com/article/here-are-the-states-where-lawmakers-are-seeking-to-ban-colleges-dei-effortshttps://www.historians.org/research-and-publications/perspectives-on-history/march-2023/the-integrity-of-history-education-bills-censoring-k%E2%80%9312-classrooms-censor-higher-education-as-wellhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdcoBQy41zI https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/02/opinion/the-new-history-wars.html

What is the state of youth voting among college students as we barrel toward the November presidential election? Today’s guests, Jennifer Domagal-Goldman from ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, and UC Berkeley undergraduate student, Alex Edgar, discuss successful strategies to increase youth participation in local, state and federal elections in 2024. Listen in for tangible tips on actions you can take now to engage the young people in your life and on your campus.
Episode Resources:
Every single person in a college community can help support nonpartisan democratic engagement on their campus by:
Visiting www.allintovote.org and check or update your registration and then take our Pledge to Vote - and then ask three friends or family members to do the same. Asking your president or chancellor to join more than 625 of their peers in signing our Presidents’ Commitment to Full Student Voter Participation. It sends a strong signal to the campus that nonpartisan voter engagement matters.Working with your athletic department to encourage all athletic administrators and coaches to sign the 2024 Coaches Pledge.Recognizing a student who’s doing extraordinary work on your campus with the ALL IN Student Voting Honor Roll. Submitting a nonpartisan campus democratic engagement action plan by May 31, 2024.Learn more about the Students Learn Students Vote Coalition: https://slsvcoalition.org/  Check out the latest U.S. Department of Education Toolkit for the Promotion of Voter Participation for Students: https://allin.vote/USEd-Toolkit