At Quinnipiac University, the editor of the student paper was threatened with losing his job for 1) wanting to cover important issues on campus, and 2) publicly disagreeing with administration policies.

At the University of Florida, students were chastised for expressing their belief that radical Islamists want to kill Westerners.

Censorship and political correctness are again running amok on our campuses.

If we don't believe in the American Bill of Rights, most especially the part about "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press," then aren't we being un-American? If our institutions of higher learning, traditional bastions of the search for truth, advocate the squelching of ideas and the repression of student journalism, then we are on the road toward intolerance and ignorance.

Quinnipiac President John Lahey expressed his displeasure with coverage by the student newspaper the Quinnipiac Chronicle because he wants to "have a good discussion with the students about important topics, but not have it be a press conference to the world, where I have absolutely no control." Chronicle Editor Jason Braff, a junior, responds that, "We, as journalists, are merely doing our jobs. We are translating the hours spent in our Quinnipiac journalism classes into experience. We would be doing the Quinnipiac student body a disservice if we did not attend public events on campus, and cover them honestly and objectively."

He and his student

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staff have also publicly objected to university policies forbidding the posting of news on the weekly Chronicle's Web site before publication of the paper; in other words, censoring it six out of seven days.

He received a letter from the university's dean of students Nov. 2 stating: "Please understand that any disregard for university or Student Center policies, or any public statement by you expressing disagreement with such policies, will seriously place your position and organization at risk with the university."

Chilling.

Down at the University of Florida, the vice president of student affairs distributed a campuswide e-mail to 50,000 students condemning student organizers for "offensive behavior" for posting an advertisement in advance of the showing of the film "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West." Some of the fliers read, "Radical Islam wants you dead."

A student Muslim organization is expressing concern for its safety, the vice president said, and demanded an apology from the groups sponsoring the film, including the Law School Republicans, Jewish student union, College Republicans, Gators for Israel and the Jewish Law Students Association.

Wouldn't you think that college students would know the difference between fellow students who are Muslims and radical Islamists in the world threatening jihad?

Wouldn't you think a Connecticut university touting its journalism school — and it's a good one — would think twice about the importance of news coverage of important issues on the campus? On second thought, perhaps Quinnipiac journalism students are getting a taste of the real world, where those in power constantly try to limit coverage or at least control the message that gets out.

Thank goodness for Margarita E. Diaz, an assistant professor of journalism and the faculty adviser for The Chronicle. She said that prohibiting student journalists from publicly disagreeing with the university's policies is a violation of their rights. "Any attempt by the university to control the statements by any student leader, whether it is about university policies or anything else going on campus, I see as an attack on freedom of speech on campus," she told The New York Times.

"Having an administration that appears to not support the mission of our [journalism] program is totally disheartening for all of us," she said.

Down in Florida, the "offensive" students are getting some pretty powerful backing.

State Attorney General Bill McCollum told the university its warning to the students sponsoring the movie "may have violated [their] free speech rights. At the very least it has created a chilling effect on the free speech rights of students enrolled at the University of Florida." A Republican state representative, Adam Hasner of Delray Beach, accuses the college of ignoring the truth and is calling for a public reprimand of the vice president who demanded an apology from the students.

"According to the administration's view of the world, elements of radical Islam do not want to kill us. Not only is this view wrong, but it is itself dangerous," said Rep. Hasner. "Radical Islam is intent on killing. Its extreme views sanction the death and destruction of those who are nonbelievers — including Muslims. That is a fact."

Whether you agree it's a fact or not, college students ought to be able to watch movies and discuss world issues.

And student journalists ought to write about whatever issues the students on their campus are facing.

James H. Smith is the editor of the Connecticut Post. You can reach him at 203-330-6325 or by e-mail at jsmith@ctpost.com.