Critical Analysis on The Right to Preach on a College Campus by Ryan Joy

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Critical Analyses of Ryan Joy’s Article
I. Author’s Background Information
Ryan Joy is a graduate of Lewis and Clark College. In particular, he pursued a degree in religious studies as his undergraduate. The author later joined Portland State University (PSU) to study economics (Joy 623). As such, Joy has a good understanding of religious studies, which might have triggered him to write this article.
A. Title and Author: “The Right to Preach on a College Campus” by Ryan Joy.
B. Publication Information: The article was first published in a Portland State student magazine in 2015 called Portland Spectrum.
C. Statement of Topic/Purpose: The article discusses why free speech is a highly contested problem on college campuses since it is challenging to show whether it abides by constitutional protections and university guidelines.
II. Thesis Statement: Religiously motivated hate speech should not enjoy similar protections stated in the First Amendment.
III. Summary/Description of the Work: On Park Avenue, a street preacher was aggressively ministering to PSU’s students at the Park Blocks pertaining to his religious beliefs. The individual made instigating verbal altercations and allegedly called a female “slut” (Joy 623). The incident resulted in an uproar about how college administrators should promote a secure and safe environment for students. Nevertheless, based on the First Amendment, the preacher was exercising his right to the freedom of expression. PSU’s Chief of Campus Public Safety, Phillip Zerzan, confirmed that even though the preacher had harassed some students non-physically through his teachings, his speech was protected by the First Amendment. In addition, a PSU political science professor, David Johns, asserted that the preacher’s engagement in disorderly conduct, particularly threatening students, cannot draw the attention of the law since there were no noise complaints (Joy 625). As such, the...