Student sues Yuba College for silencing treatment

A Yuba College student who says he faced expulsion and arrest for handing out gospel tracts on campus — part of what an attorney describes as colleges nationwide targeting Christians and conservatives — has filed suit in federal court.

Loma Rica resident Ryan Dozier in the lawsuit filed Monday cites violation of his First Amendment rights and said he has not repeated his religious activities at Yuba College since a campus police officer and a college administrator approached him Feb. 27 as he held a sign with a Christian message.

The officer told Dozier, 20, he lacked a proper permit and faced arrest for trespassing if he continued his activity, the student said.

A letter from Yuba College president Paul V. Mendoza to Dozier states in part, "I will, at this point, issue you a written warning to not violate the Student Code of Conduct... "Should you violate my directive, you will face further discipline up to and including expulsion from the college. Do not let this happen!"

David Hacker, an attorney for the Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom at its Sacramento office, said that colleges and universities "are censoring Christian and conservative speech on campus."

Hacker said the Arizona-based center for academic freedom has handled similar cases in the Bay Area. He's somewhat surprised by Yuba College's actions but that such crackdowns are "an epidemic."

"I don't really know what it is that the colleges don't like," he said, adding that academic officials around the country concentrate on students who don't conform "to campus orthodoxy."

He added that he knows of no cases where students demonstrating for leftist causes on colleges have faced disciplinary actions by academic officials.

Miriam Root, Yuba College spokeswoman, said Wednesday of the federal lawsuit, "We haven't been served yet. We haven't seen any paperwork."

Ryan Dozier could not be reached for comment.

Sondra Dozier said Wednesday she had warned her grandson about what to expect if he distributed the tracts.

"I told him before he started college he'd face this," she said.

"Almost all of the professors are liberal," said Dozier, adding that's why the country is "in the mess we're in."

She said if her grandson had been demonstrating against American traditions that he wouldn't have faced any problems.

"I don't know when it changed," said Dozier, who attended Yuba in 1957-58. "But it sure changed dramatically."

The Center for Academic Freedom said that Yuba College allows "free speech" only on Tuesdays and Thursdays between noon and 1 p.m., and requires permission two weeks in advance.

Such requirements are unconstitutional, Hacker said.

The lawsuit, which seeks an injunction against the college district to stop enforcement of the restrictions on Dozier, also asks for an award of nominal damages.

Dozier, as a Christian, looks for opportunities to speak with students about his faith and "likes to hold up signs with religious references," the lawsuit states. "And sometimes, Dozier seeks to engage in open-air preaching on the college campus in an effort to generate discussions."

The filing in federal court in Sacramento includes the seven elected members of the college district Board of Trustees as defendants.

"Until the board gets a report from the administration, I'm not going to micromanage," Marysville resident and Trustee George Nicolau said.

"These things usually work themselves out," he added.

Contact Appeal-Democrat re-porter Ryan McCarthy at 749-4707 or rmccarthy@appeal-democrat.com