Last year, the student-run UF Association of Latino Professionals for America invited me as a guest speaker. I spoke to over a hundred UF students, answered their questions and shared career advice. I enjoyed my time on campus, but it turns out that my visit inadvertently became a test of the UF administration’s commitment to free expression. Unfortunately, they failed.
On Aug. 23, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) wrote a scathing public letter to UF General Counsel Amy Meyers Hass after discovering that she ordered the ALPFA to delete their Instagram post related to my visit. Why? Because my billionaire ex-boss David Einhorn demanded it. FIRE didn’t mince words about the illegality of Meyers Hass’ censorship: “This order violates the First Amendment.”
As a public university, UF’s administration is bound by the First Amendment, meaning it cannot legally censor student speech simply because it offends someone — including a hedge fund billionaire who has never set foot on UF’s campus.
By caving to these demands for censorship, UF’s general counsel set a chilling precedent that threatens the rights of all student groups to speak freely and host the speakers of their choice.
In light of her actions, UF students could reasonably ask: How will Meyers Hass respond if an oil company pressures her to censor a student organization critical of fossil fuels? What will she do if a pharmaceutical company demands that she censor another for criticizing their newest vaccine?
For UF’s administration, the First Amendment is not a recommendation or suggestion; it’s a constitutional obligation, and it’s not negotiable. FIRE originally gave Amy Meyers Hass until Sept. 6 to confirm that UF will "refrain from future infringements on student organizations' expressive rights."
On Sept. 4, UF students got the victory they deserved, with FIRE writing on its website, “UF acknowledged that the demand for ALPFA to remove the content was contrary to university policy and affirmed groups’ right to control their content free from university interference.”
This is a win for free expression at UF, with FIRE leading the charge. But the fight for free expression never truly ends — eternal vigilance is key to ensuring that no student organization at UF ever faces censorship again.
James Fishback is the co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of Azoria, an investment management company.
