WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Peter Roskam (R-IL) announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing entitled “Protecting the Free Exchange of Ideas on College Campuses” on Wednesday, March 2 at 10:00 AM in room 1100 of the Longworth House Office Building. At the hearing, members will discuss whether tax-exempt colleges and universities are using the tax code to avoid upholding their commitment to create an open marketplace of ideas on campus.
Upon announcing the hearing, Chairman Roskam said:
“Freedom of expression is a critical underpinning of university teaching and research. Lately, we’ve noticed a disturbing trend of institutions stifling free speech and otherwise inhibiting the free exchange of ideas to shield their own viewpoints from criticism. We’re looking forward to hearing from witnesses who will share their personal experiences and help our Subcommittee understand the relationship between academic freedom and the tax code.”
BACKGROUND:
The hearing will focus on the loss of a free marketplace of ideas on college and university campuses using a recent Georgetown Law incident as a case study. Georgetown Law recently prohibited law student Alex Atkins from distributing information to support a Presidential candidate on campus, arguing that political activity by students on campus would threaten its tax-exempt status.
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