On Oct. 1, Gov. Jeff Landry signed an executive order to officially request advice from the Louisiana Board of Regents in order to improve freedom of expression on college campuses.  

The Board of Regents is the state agency in charge of public higher education. 

Landry announced the order at Louisiana State University at an event co-hosted by Turning Point USA, a far-right college organization.  

The executive order highlights many current issues with free speech on college campuses.  

“Students are increasingly being encouraged to report conduct that they witness or experience that they interpret as stereotyping, marginalizing, or excluding a person based on their age, color, disability, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, marital status, national or ethnic origin, pregnancy status, race, religion, retaliation, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or other. Such reports while well-intentioned have the effect of chilling speech,” the order reads. 

Landry assigned the Board of Regents with creating “policies on free expression” that prohibit “protests and demonstrations that infringe upon the constitutional rights of others to engage in or listen to expressive activity by creating a substantial and material disruption to the functioning of the institution or to someone’s expressive activity.” 

In reaction to the police take-down of the pro-Palestinian encampment on Tulane University’s campus in the spring, Landry issued a statement that said, “Many colleges across our country may allow this lawlessness, but Louisiana will NOT. This State will not tolerate those who seek to disturb the peace by means of criminality.” 

This is a developing story and will be updated.