Jurist-in-Residence talk on free speech on campuses slated for October 7

Free speech in educational environments will be the focus of this year’s Jurist-in-Residence talk on October 7 at 5:30 p.m. at the Thelma P. Lally School of Education and via livestream on social media.

Following a Free Speech 101 address by the Honorable Loretta A. Preska ‘70, Senior District Judge, US District Court, Southern District of New York, the panel will lead an audience-driven conversation on why freedom of expression and academic freedom is important on campus.

Preska earned a BA in Chemistry from Saint Rose, an LLM from New York University School of Law, and a JD from Fordham University School of Law. She was appointed to a seat on the US District Court for the Southern District of New York by President George H.W. Bush in 1992 and served as its Chief Judge from 2009 to 2016. As the College’s Jurist-in-Residence, Preska provides a unique mentorship opportunity for pre-law students. Due to the generous donations of Preksa and her husband Thomas J. Kavaler, Esq., the Saint Rose Mock Trial Teams can practice in their own mock courtroom on campus.

The panelists for “You Can’t Say That: Free Expression on Campus 101” are:

• Will Creeley, NYC legal director of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE)
• Alice Green, executive director of the Center for Law and Justice in Albany
• Oliver Robinson, superintendent of the Shenendehowa Central School District

The program also will be livestreamed via the Saint Rose Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Pre-registration is required for in-person attendance, and attendees who are not Saint Rose students or employees must provide at the door proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a negative PCR test result taken within 72 hours of the event.