STUDENTS SUE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OVER FIRST AMENDMENT VIOLATIONS

Lawsuit asserts claims for retaliation and effort to silence student leaders

ST. PAUL, Minn., March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A federal lawsuit filed today by LeadMN seeks to stop violations of the First Amendment by Minnesota State's Board of Trustees. LeadMN is the statewide student association representing the 100,000 community and technical college students across Minnesota. Its lawsuit is the result of Trustees' illegal refusal to fund student speech and advocacy because LeadMN has not always fallen in line behind Trustees' decisions.

"The First Amendment protects students, and student associations, from censorship by college administrators," said Mike Dean, Executive Director of LeadMN. "This lawsuit is necessary to protect students' right to speak, and to hold leaders accountable for illegal efforts to silence dissent."

Read LeadMN's complaint filed with the Court here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ys3jDHHPcU7ykefnZVXnZQIwiJbQ-dNd/view?usp=sharing 

LeadMN has consistently advocated for the students it represents, regardless of whether its positions were popular with the Board of Trustees. In recent years, students were concerned about the rapidly rising cost of Minnesota State college tuition. LeadMN's student leaders advocated for a tuition freeze with Minnesota's elected leaders and the Legislature responded by freezing college tuition. This defense of students frustrated Trustees and Minnesota State's Chancellor.

In 2021, student representatives voted to approve a budget that would empower LeadMN to better represent and advocate for students. By state law, Minnesota State is obligated to collects the funds LeadMN requires for these efforts. Student representatives voted to set LeadMN's student fee at the same level Trustees had approved three years earlier for the student association representing university students.

Instead of collecting the fees approved through the student-led budget process, Trustees and the Chancellor worked covertly to generate opposition to LeadMN's proposed fee from College administrators, employee unions, and others with no proper role in decisions regarding LeadMN's funding. Trustees conferred outside of public meetings, through text and chat messages, expressing their desire to retaliate in response to LeadMN's views and speech. At the end of this process, Trustees simply blocked LeadMN's proposed fee. Trustees apparently believe they have the right to refuse funding for speech, for any reason, without ever disclosing why.

"It is unconstitutional for government leaders to wield unchecked discretion to stifle dissent or retaliate against speech they don't like," said Sam Diehl, attorney representing LeadMN. "LeadMN merely desires to be part of Minnesota's public discourse, not litigate. However, Trustees' illegal conduct has forced LeadMN to seek relief from the Court."

LeadMN will seek an injunction barring Trustees from violating the First Amendment as soon as the Court's schedule allows the motion to be heard.

About LeadMN
LeadMN represents the 100,000 students attending Minnesota's public two-year community and technical colleges. The statewide student association is recognized by the Minnesota State system as the official voice of two-year students on Minnesota's 47 community and technical college campuses. Learn more at https://www.leadmn.org/

SOURCE LeadMN