Yuba College speech rule going to court

A Yuba College student, warned by the school president that he faced expulsion by continuing to hand out gospel tracts without a permit, has a federal court order directing the college to suspend its polices until a Jan. 16 hearing.

Attorneys for Loma Rica resident Ryan Dozier, 20, are challenging Yuba College's policy that they say restricts free speech to one hour each on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and to a site in front of the campus theater.

"I have not seen policies quite this bad before," Heather Hacker, an attorney the Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom at its Sacramento office, said Monday of the regulations set for the January hearing in federal court in Sacramento. "We think these are clearly unconstitutional."

The Alliance contends colleges nationwide are targeting Christians and conservatives.

Dozier has returned to the Linda campus one time since the Nov. 10 federal court order, Hacker said.

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

Yuba College president Paul V. Mendoza in a letter told Dozier that, "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."

Miriam Root, college spokeswoman, said the campus has a grassy area near the theater set aside as a "free speech zone."

Of the federal court order preventing the college from invoking its policies against Dozier, Root said that, "We're very interested in complying with the law."

"We are constantly reviewing our policies and procedures," Root said.

George Nicholau, one of seven Yuba College district trustees, said of the campus' free speech area that "Anybody can go there and talk about anything."

Hacker said the Alliance Defense Fund understands that ending Yuba College's current policies would also allow viewpoints different from Dozier's to be expressed.

"We think that's a good thing," the attorney said. "We believe in the First Amendment."