It seems as though freedom of speech is a precious privilege that is unappreciated these days. The very people who are supposed to promote it, however, are allowing it to fall to the wayside in Colorado.

The Academic Bill of Rights, a set of rules enacted by Colorado legislators to protect conservative college students from undue harassment, has had a negative affect on free speech at Colorado universities. At Metropolitan State College in Denver in particular, conflicting student-professor politics are leading to contention, harassment and worse - death threats.

All state-funded colleges adopted the policy after being prodded by Republican lawmakers, but professors at the college are concerned that it will limit the topics that can be discussed in the classroom.

But, there is still no justification for an educational institution to limit open discussion in its classrooms. The president, board members and professors at these Colorado institutions are obligated to protect freedom of speech within their campuses to further the development of their students and themselves, and avoid letting legislators enter the fray.

Whether conservative students are harassed or not, we wonder why the state legislation is imposing rules at an educational institution. At least in Michigan, state government is allowed to control the amount of funding that a state-funded educational institution receives, not what can and cannot be discussed at that institution.

Educators who abrasively express liberal views without allowing room for opposition are grossly abusing their power. It is not their job to say, "You're wrong," when a student expresses their views, but to raise the question, "Who thinks they're wrong?" in an effort to allow the students to develop the class atmosphere.