Preachers claim UNLV limiting free speech

David Kihara

Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2004 | 11:03 a.m.

Less than a month after the Nevada Supreme Court ruled on free speech issues at UNLV, a group of campus preachers this week is claiming the university is hindering freedom of speech by prohibiting them from sermonizing at certain areas of campus.

The six campus preachers making the claims are local and national preachers, some of whom travel to college campuses around the country speaking about Christianity or the Bible. They are claiming that UNLV officials are limiting their ability to practice free speech by corralling them into zones on the campus designated for "free speech" activities.

"Basically, on a college campus, free speech should be paramount," preacher Ruben Israel said on Tuesday. "In about five years, the UNLV free speech area is going to be in Henderson."

Israel said he is considering bringing up a civil lawsuit against UNLV to get "recognition" of the issue and "to allow free speech areas not to be squelched."

He said he would discuss this matter with lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union in Las Vegas before going forward.

Gary Peck, executive director of the Nevada ACLU, and Allen Lichtenstein, ACLU of Nevada's general counsel, said on Tuesday that they are informed of the case but have not yet decided how the group will be involved.

Although the ACLU had not yet decided if litigation is appropriate in this case, it supported the preachers' desire for what Peck described as less- restrictive policies regarding free speech on the UNLV campus.

The problems for the self-described campus preachers began on Monday, when a group of six preachers began speaking near the UNLV amphitheater behind the Flora Dungan Humanities building.

According to Tom Griner, a local pastor at the South Valley Christian Center and one of the individuals preaching at UNLV campus, an official with the UNLV public information office approached the group and informed them that they were in a non-free speech zone at the campus.

The UNLV official then gave the group two maps showing "areas designated for expressive activities" and told them they could continue preaching at any of those areas or inside the amphitheater, Griner said.

The six preachers remained at the amphitheater, as they had done in years past, Israel said.

Later that day, the same UNLV official told them that they could not speak inside the amphitheater, saying that it was not a free speech area and is designated only for student activities or for outside parties to rent, according to a UNLV official and Griner. The UNLV official said the group could continue to preach at the amphitheater if they paid a $400 fee to the university.

Hilarie Grey, UNLV's spokeswoman, disagreed with Griner's interpretation of the events. She said that at no time did an official from UNLV indicate that the group could use the amphitheater and directed them to areas where "expressive activities" were permitted.

At all times, the university was merely upholding the policy defining "areas designated for expressive activities," Grey said.

"We want to accommodate all free speech activities, but we have to be fair," Grey said on Tuesday, adding that if UNLV allowed the preachers to speak publicly at the amphitheater without charging them, then they could not ask another group the standard fee for use of the amphitheater.

On Tuesday, the group of preachers resumed their activity at the amphitheater but were asked by UNLV officials to move to a free speech zone. The group moved to the front of the Classroom Building Complex near the Frank Kock Auditorium, but not before they contacted the ACLU.

Although Griner understands the policies regarding free speech zones on the campus, he said that they are against the fundamental principles of free expression.

"Do we serve the policy or the students," Griner said. Although he said the area in front of the Classroom Building Complex where they preached on Tuesday had an equal amount of foot traffic as the amphitheater, the preacher merely has a preference for the amphitheater.

The incident this week follows several high profile freedom-of-speech cases on the campus of UNLV. Most recently, in early November, the state Supreme Court ruled that government agencies, including UNLV, could require certain groups attempting to gather signatures for petitions to give prior notice of their intentions.

The case stemmed from an incident in May when a signature gatherer for a petition was turned away from Artemis W. Ham Concert Hall.