Despite Arizona being one of the first states to pass the CAFE Act (FIRE’s model legislation), multiple school’s across the state still have issues with the First Amendment on campus. In fact, Northern Arizona University used to have the worst rating of any school in Arizona. When Connor Owsley first met YAL’s Director of Free Speech, they both knew something had to be done.

Connor went out on campus with a Free Speech ball and clipboard in hand. After hours of meeting with students, he took his hundreds of signatures to the University President with FIRE’s recommended policy changes to the University. After months of deliberation and a bureaucracy moving at the speed of molasses, Northern Arizona University agreed to reform their policy governing outdoor space AND their Bias Incident Reporting policy.