University of North Carolina board votes to prohibit compelled speech, preferential hiring

The University of North Carolina Board of Governors voted to prohibit compelled speech and politically preferential hiring.

The resolution passed on Thursday states: "[T]he University shall neither solicit nor require an employee or applicant ... to affirmatively ascribe to or opine about beliefs, affiliations, ideals, or principles regarding matters of contemporary political debate or social action as a condition to admission, employment, or professional advancement."

The vote comes after the school announced a plan earlier this month to combat woke ideology on campus with a Civic Life and Leadership School that a board member says will be a way to "level" the playing field on campus, Fox News reported.

"When one side is represented and the other side is suddenly allowed to speak up, it may seem like we're taking aim — but really we're just trying to create a level playing field," Trustee Marty Kotis said. 

"We are working to support a culture of respect, debate, and discovery. It won't be easy and will often feel simply uncomfortable," Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said in an announcement about the school. "Yet these are the skills our students, and we as citizens, need to be stewards of our democracy."