(The Center Square) – The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression has sent two letters to a Minnesota community college alleging its campus speech policies violate the First Amendment.
Anoka-Ramsey Community College, a public community college in Cambridge and Coon Rapids, has yet to respond to FIRE.
The foundation first contacted the college April 3, raising concerns about rules that prohibit unaffiliated individuals from proselytizing on campus.
“Banning proselytism while allowing other types of speech – including harsh criticism of religion – is a blatant violation of the First Amendment,” FIRE Program Counsel Brennen VanderVeen said. “FIRE calls on the college to revise its policies so that proponents and critics of religion are both free to speak there.”
FIRE argues the policy is “flatly unconstitutional” discrimination because it restricts speech encouraging religious or ideological conversion while permitting criticism of those same beliefs.
In a follow-up letter dated April 29, FIRE said it had not received a response and urged the college to revise its policies, warning the restrictions could expose the school.
“This provision therefore exposes the college to substantial and unnecessary litigation risk, and it should rescind the provision without delay,” the second letter said.
Beyond the proselytizing ban, FIRE also takes issue with the college’s broader rules governing speech by individuals not affiliated with the school. Those include limiting expressive activity to designated areas on campus, restricting some spaces to literature distribution only, and requiring a permit request at least one week in advance.
According to FIRE, those policies are “restrictive” and “unclear,” potentially discouraging lawful speech. The group also argued the one-week notice requirement is unreasonable, particularly for individuals engaging in small-scale activities like handing out pamphlets.
“These restrictions warrant revision to ensure non-affiliated individuals have a meaningful opportunity to engage in protected speech,” the group wrote in its second letter.
FIRE said at least one individual has been prevented from proselytizing at the college’s Coon Rapids campus due to the policy.
In a statement to The Center Square, a FIRE spokesperson reiterated the group’s concerns.
“The school’s restrictions on expression and assembly raise serious First Amendment concerns, and its ban on proselytism is blatantly unconstitutional,” the spokesperson said. “FIRE urges Anoka-Ramsey to revise its policies to comply with the Constitution.”
FIRE has offered to help the college revise its policies free of charge to align them “with the First Amendment. It requested a response from the college by May 13.
Anoka-Ramsey Community College did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Center Square.
