This is what happens when feelings are more important than anything.

The FIRE blog reports.

University of California Student Leaders: Free Speech Shouldn’t ‘Distract’ from Inclusivity Discussions

The University of California (UC) Board of Regents has been at the center of a months-long debate over its problematic “Statement of Principles Against Intolerance,” proposed to combat bigotry on campus. Last week, a group of UC student body presidents stoked concerns about the policy by a publishing a statement asking that concerns about free speech not “distract” from the Regents’ mission to foster inclusiveness on UC campuses.

FIRE worried that the Regents’ proposed statement would chill protected speech when it was announced. In September, the Regents held a meeting to consider comments from campus community members and to address fears that UC would either unconstitutionally censor speech or fail to adequately address intolerance. The meeting, although largely inconclusive, presented more problems than solutions to FIRE’s concerns.

Particularly troubling were students’ demands that the Regents reverse their decision not to adopt the U.S. State Department definition of anti-Semitism (which FIRE notes would have been unconstitutional if adopted as enforceable policy), as well as Regent Richard Blum’s threat that UC would suffer political consequences from his wife, United States Senator Dianne Feinstein, unless the statement UC adopted included punishments for violators. Ultimately, the Regents agreed to convene a working group of university stakeholders, including students, faculty, and Regents, to address the issues raised about the statement’s myriad problems.