Attacking or advancing freedom of speech?

Although never an admirer of ex-GOP Rep. James E. Rogan, I must express my respect for his decency in resigning from the Bruin Alumni Assn. (Jan. 19).

This Andrew Jones fellow, and his obnoxious offer to pay students to spy on their professors at UCLA, has the nasty ring of the Hitler Youth. It is a sad statement when a young Republican apparently believes he is serving our great country -- but more likely his own ambitions -- through the use of such slimy tactics.

There is no room -- not even in today’s GOP -- for such dishonorable individuals.

JOHANNA DORDICK

Los Angeles

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Re “College daze,” editorial, Jan. 20

As a fourth-year political science and history major at UCLA, I have had the privilege of taking classes instructed by a few of the professors listed on www.uclaprofs.com. The views of some professors here are a little left of what I have grown up with, but I’m wondering if I blacked out on the day that Americans decided individual opinion is a public threat.

In college and throughout life, people express their opinions and beliefs, which may be different from our own. However, it is our job as individuals to scrutinize others’ opinions and find evidence that dismisses or supports them. This isn’t kindergarten, Andrew Jones; this is college, where we are taught to think for ourselves. Or did you miss that lecture?

CHRISTINA RUSSELL

Los Angeles

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I find it ironic that The Times suggests that Jones return to college to study free speech and fails to recognize that his website is itself protected by the 1st Amendment. As distasteful as paying students to become informants is, if Jones is publishing false allegations on his site, there are already libel and slander laws in place that will allow aggrieved professors to seek remedy. If the information is true, then perhaps some parents will find it a valuable insight into the university and choose another option if they are so inclined.

That we all have freedom of speech does not make any of us immune to criticism, and despite the important position that they hold in our society, professors are not elevated above us in this regard.

CHRISTOPHER FISHER

Lakewood