In responding to intentionally inflammatory Facebook postings, the University must respect the broad First Amendment rights enjoyed by its students in off-campus forums. Even the most hateful remarks, including idle calls for violence, are protected.

When the rights of any are threatened, the rights of all are threatened.

I call on the Student ACLU to stand up for its fellow students in this case. FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, has resources on these issues and a recent article on Facebook censorship on its Web site www.thefire.org.

James Phillips

Champaign