Quote:
Originally posted by BSUPhiSig'92
I find myself in full agreement with this editorial. Dartmouth is clearly violating numerous Constitutional rights under highly suspect pretense.
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A private institution like Dartmouth cannot violate a person's Constitutional rights, or perhaps it is more apt to say that they are not required to respect Constitutional rights as such.
The Constitution (the Bill of Rights in particular, including the First Amendment to which these students refer) protects citizens from
the government and provides that
the government cannot infringe upon certain guaranteed rights, including the right to free assembly. Because Dartmouth is a private rather than a public institution, a valid claim for violation of First Amendment rights simply cannot be made against it. And despite what the editorial says, that's as true in California as it is in Vermont.
Now civil rights, whether secured by federal or state law and including any conditions that may be tied to receipt of federal funds, are a different matter.