One of the better articles on the freedom of speech in academia is written in Slate by Dahlia Lithwick.
The key paragraph is here:
Free speech does not encompass the right to fire, suspend, or riot your way into a universe in which everyone agrees with your views, even if you have legitimate grievances. The courts are well aware of this, but it seems that universities, both here and in Canada, are not. On campus, you may “speak” freely?with fists, chairs, and broken glass?so long as you are a member of an aggrieved minority with delicate sensibilities and a narrative of oppression.
The important part of the article is it addresses the suppression of speech from all angles and it doesn’t equate it strangely with Colorado College’s choice to have a Palestinean speak.
I’ll add one more problem. There is an increasing tendency for colleges to include a counterpoint view at a talk from an controversial figure. This is a horrible precedent to set. Alternative points of view should be invited on a regular basis and not because of some concern that someone can’t speak at a given time. The notion that students aren’t smart enough to see different points of view when they listen to them is condescending and silly.