The week of Oct. 21, UW-Eau Claire celebrated National Free Speech Week. The Menard Center for Constitutional Studies hosted a series of events to raise awareness of the intersections between freedom of expression and the law, as well as the speech-related rights and responsibilities students have on campus.

The events were sponsored by the Menard Center, Wisconsin Farmers Union, Eau Claire Downtown Coffee (ECDC) and the UW-Eau Claire Pre-Law Club.

Eric Kasper, a political science professor and Menard Center director, said the week has a growing history and significance. 

“Free speech week has been recognized since 2005 as the third full week in October, so that it’s an opportunity for people to learn more about their first amendment rights to freedom of speech and the freedom of the press so they can, you know, fully exercise those rights,” Kasper said.

The Menard Center is focused on the National Constitution as well as the State Constitution. Within that, programming is focused on freedom of speech and freedom of expression, both on college campuses and educating the students within society.

On Monday, Oct. 21, Judge Kent Jordan gave a speech titled, “The Rights and Responsibilities of Free Speech.” Jordan was appointed to the Court of Appeals in the Third Circuit by former President George W. Bush. He shared his almost twenty years of experience with the laws surrounding free speech and the responsibilities that free expression entails. 

Philip Rechek, program coordinator for the Menard Center, said the event with Jordan is one of a kind for the week’s annual celebration.

“To my knowledge, it may be the first time the university has hosted a federal judge at this level,” Rechek said.

On Wednesday, Oct. 23, a limited-space free speech workshop was held. The workshop’s goal was for students to learn more about their free expression rights and restrictions at public universities while earning money for their tuition. Students received $100 towards their tuition, as well as free dinner and a book. 

“It was focused on what it means to have freedom of expression as a college student,” Recheck said. “What are your rights to protest? What are your rights of expression?”

Adam Kunz, an assistant political science professor, helped lead the workshop. Kunz spoke about the places where free speech can come up in people’s lives and how to have healthy, structured conversations about politics.

“It’ll come up when you’re going to the voting booth. It will come up in your relationships,” Kunz said. “And at the bare minimum, what we wanna do is try to promote civil dialogue so that people can get along, talk to each other and not end relationships just because we disagree politically.”

On Thursday, Oct. 24, the Menard Center welcomed Katherine Cramer, apolitical scientist and author of “Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker.” 

Cramer discussed feelings of alienation among rural Americans and its impact on U.S. political discourse and movements in a talk titled, “Feeling Unheard in the Land of the Free: Rural Resentment, Our Economy, and the Voices of the People.”

“Her viewpoint, which is really relevant at election time, is ‘How do we have these deeply purple communities, as they say, that can have such wildly different views even with these same communities?’” Rechel said. “A lot of it will be how these rural communities see their voice as a rural community being heard in state politics.”

Holmes can be reached [email protected].