Student Sues University Officials Over Flier

A student sued the president and other officers of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in federal court Thursday, claiming his free-speech rights were violated when he was punished for trying to post a flier promoting a conservative author.

Last November, Steve Hinkle went to the campus multicultural center to post a flier advertising a speech by Mason Weaver, a black conservative who argues that reliance on government aid enslaves blacks.

Hinkle, who is white and an officer of the campus Republican club, was confronted by some black students who said they found the flier offensive, according to the suit.

Hinkle was ordered to write letters of apology to the students and warned he could face stiffer penalties or even expulsion if he refused, according to the suit. Hinkle refused.