As university professors nationwide receive criticism for statements they’ve made since Sept. 11, questions are beginning to surface about the importance of the freedom of speech on college campuses.

But so far, the classroom First Amendment rights of faculty have not been challenged in regard to the terrorist attacks at Iowa State, faculty said.

Faculty Senate President-elect Max Wortman refuses to negotiate on this constitutional right.

“Free speech is extraordinarily important,” he said.

Wortman, distinguished professor of management, said college campuses always have been a place where major events begin.

“The university is normally the harbinger of things to come,” he said. “What happens on campus is ultimately what happens in society as a whole.”

If Wortman’s statement is true, people across the nation may soon face criticism for anti-American statements and actions.

A University of New Mexico history professor may face discipline for joking about the Pentagon attack in class.

Alumni of University of Texas in Austin threatened to pull donations if administrators refuse to fire a journalism professor who wrote a column for the Houston Chronicle. The column suggested the United States may have prompted the terrorist attacks.

A professor at College of the Holy Cross who told his secretary to take down an American flag was bombarded with hate mail and angry phone calls.

A library assistant at the University of California-Los Angeles was suspended without pay for five days after he sent an e-mail criticizing American support for Israel.

Ben Stone, executive director of the Iowa Civil Liberties Union, said free speech is vital in the nation’s current situation.

“It’s important that in these times, efforts [to censor] be resisted,” he said. “There’s a natural tendency to suppress dissent . but these are times when all viewpoints need to be considered.”

Stone said only tenured professors “have pretty strong First Amendment rights.” Non-tenured professors, who may not have a position the following year, “are more at risk.”

Administrators who may feel pressure to discipline professors who express an unpopular opinion “need to keep in mind their duty to the greater good . [and] the general founding idea of the promotion of thoughtful discourse,” Stone said.

Steffen Schmidt, university professor of political science, said many universities have speech codes.

“The university can – but really should not – tell professors what to say and how to say it,” he said. “All universities should encourage professors to speak out and express their views.”

Schmidt also said professors “have a responsibility to help students understand issues.”

The best way to do that, he said, is to “try to enlighten them instead of spreading propaganda, for or against the government.”

It’s important to realize the freedom of speech protects not only the professors, but anyone who wishes to speak against them, Schmidt said.

“It’s a two-way street,” he said.

“When professors say things that make people angry . those people also have a right to respond. Hopefully, they have.”