You will assess the three freedom of speech examples from the case study bellow from the perspective of Northouse 2019 - Adaptive Leadership.

Questions:

1. Explain major issue within the case.

2. . Evaluate the issues and clearlyapplying - Adaptive and Servant Leadership Theory - showing that you understand the principles/concepts (Adaptive and Servant Leadershiptheory)and then appropriately applying them with evidence to the context of the case.

3. What are your take-aways over the theories presented?

• Did you find them useful in understanding the case presented?
• How might you apply them to situations you have faced within your organization(s)?

Case Study

From September 2016 to February 2018, University of Nebraska- Lincoln (UNL) received national attention for three freedom of speech controversies. While a challenging component of each controversy was free speech (R. Green, personal communication, September 28, 2016; FIRE, December 11, 2017; Dunker, February 8, 2018), the associated circumstances, issues, participants, and outcomes vary, illustrating the multiformity of crises tied to freedom of speech. This section delves into each incident and examines the actions of the University to elucidate the many challenges associated with free speech controversies in higher education.

Incident One: Taking a Knee

On September 24^th, 2016, three Cornhusker football players knelt in prayer during the national anthem at a football game (McKewon & Nohr, September 26, 2016). While the student-athletes all articulated a desire to use their platform to spread a message about the social injustice minorities face, they received significant pushback from fans, friends, and a member of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents (Boren, September 28, 2016). One Board of Regents member said that the student-athletes should be kicked off the football team and protest on someone else's nickel. The Nebraska Governor disagreed with the desire to remove the football players after their protest but did view the time of protest as disrespectful.

In emails to the UNL community, both the President and the Chancellor supported the student-athletes' right to protest under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The President wrote, "The University of Nebraska will not restrict the First Amendment rights of any student or employee...As stated in Board of Regents policy...'Members of the academic community have the right to extensive latitude in making their opinions known'" (H. Bounds, personal communication, September 28, 2016). Later that day, the Chancellor stated, "Their personal choice to speak in this way is a protected right that we all are afforded by the Constitution" (R. Green, personal communication, September 28, 2016). Despite varied viewpoints from key stakeholders, UNL administrators upheld the football players' right to free speech.

Incident Two: Turning Point USA

On August 25^th, 2017, an exchange at UNL rose to the forefront of university and statewide dialogue. A graduate student and Lecturer with the English department (i.e. referred to as Lecturer) was accused of harassing a student sponsoring a booth for Turning Point USA, a politically conservative organization, outside the Student Union (Dunker, September 7, 2017). The Lecturer made protest signs and began a counterdemonstration at the booth. Videos and photos show the Lecturer flipping the student off and calling her a "neo-fascist Becky" (Flaherty, June 18, 2018). The student commented that she felt harassed and intimidated. As these videos and images of the Lecturer went viral on social media, the University found itself embroiled in a free speech debate.

After the incident, the Lecturer was removed from teaching responsibilities reportedly due to safety concerns (Dunker, September 7, 2017). State lawmakers and stakeholders viewed the university's response as too weak and believed that the lack of punishment demonstrated a bias against politically conservative students. After receiving significant blowback, Chancellor Green wrote in an op-ed on November 17^th that the Lecturer would not teach again at UNL, citing that her presence in the classroom would be disruptive to the campus (Green, November 17, 2017). In addition to the actions taken against the Lecturer, the University responded with a campaign to eliminate political bias on campus (Grinvalds & Spilinek, November 18, 2017).

In response to the Lecturer's dismissal, the Graduate Student Assembly President stated that she did not feel that graduate students at UNL were protected (Everding, November 26, 2017). Over 200 UNL faculty members articulated a belief that actions by members of the Nebraska government unjustly impacted the University's decisions (Grinvalds, November 30, 2017). Beyond concern from UNL students and faculty, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) voted to censure UNL for "alleged violations of academic freedom in a politically loaded case involving an adjunct lecturer" (Flaherty, June 18, 2018, n.p.). While UNL administrators chose to uphold the right to free speech for football players protesting during the national anthem, the Lecturer, also a student at the University, was not awarded the same protection.

Incident Three: White Nationalist Behavior

A few months after the second incident, UNL again faced a free speech controversy. In February of 2018, Antifascist Action Nebraska, a local group that tracks the movements of white supremacists, published a video of a UNL student advocating white supremacy during a Google Hangout with other extremists (Hayden, February 13, 2018). The student stated in the video, "Just because I dress like a normiea regular persondoesn't mean I don't love violence. Trust me. I want to be violent. Trust me. Really violent" (Hayden, February 13, 2018, n.p.). Additionally, the student was present in Charlottesville, Virginia, for the 2017 riots with Vanguard America, a white supremacist group.

In response to this video, as well as the student's affiliation with white supremacist groups, minoritized students on campus felt threatened and wanted action (Bowling, February 26, 2018). While university administrators reached out condemning bigotry and violence (Bellows, Zach, & Yardley, personal communication, February 6, 2018), the student was not expelled because of his right to free speech. Chancellor Green stated, "The student's viewpoint however hateful and intolerant it is is also protected by the First Amendment. That is the law, even if we disagree" (Dunker, February 8, 2018, n.p.). While no punishment for the student was shared publicly, UNL instituted forums among faculty and students and a student-led "Hate Will Never Win" rally.

These three incidents are reflective of a conversation nationwide, as political polarization and social media, among other matters, challenge higher education (Ruggles, November 19, 2017). Between political pressure, campus climate, and freedom of speech, university administrators, especially those at public institutions, are on a tightrope (Ruggles, March 26, 2018).