AMES, Iowa – The national conversation surrounding free speech and diversity issues on college campuses will continue with a lecture at Iowa State University next week.
Mariah Watson
Mariah Watson, former student government president at the University of California, Davis and Howard Gillman, chancellor of the University of California, Irvine, will discuss First Amendment rights and the concerns of diverse populations on university campuses.
“Balancing Freedom of Expression and Diversity: Campus Conversation” will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18, in the Memorial Union Sun Room. The public discussion is free.
Efforts are under way to grow diversity and inclusion at Iowa State through its Principles of Community, and the Division of Diversity and Inclusion is analyzing results of the campus climate survey, for which public meetings will be planned this spring.
Watson graduated from UC Davis in 2016 and is currently a legislative aide for California state Sen. Nancy Skinner. Watson was the first student of color to serve as president of UC Davis Associated Students. She helped establish a student-oriented police review board, which has served as a model for other campuses.
Howard Gillman
Gillman is a constitutional scholar and co-author of a new book, “Free Speech on Campus.” He is a faculty member in UCI’s law school, as well as in the departments of political science; history; and criminology, law and society.
This lecture is co-sponsored by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Convocation Planning Committee, Division of Student Affairs, Division of Diversity and Inclusion, Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost, and Committee on Lectures, which is funded by Student Government.
Find more information on ISU lectures online or call 515-294-9935.