Sierra College Students and Auburn Area Democratic Club Have a Chat
At the start of each semester at Sierra College, Rocklin campus, the Auburn Area Democratic Club (AADC) volunteers do nonpartisan voter registration. What immediately struck them this semester was that students were aware of the special election for Redistricting (Prop50) on November 4. As usual they showed interest in the AADC political surveys. Further, the number of students completing the voter registration forms was encouraging. Interestingly, this semester students are registering more often as Democrats. Students usually register with “No Party Preference.”
The AADC volunteers use survey research to engage students’ interest. Recently on their registration gig, the first group of students flipped the table, sort to speak, asking the AADC volunteers to take their student survey. AADC and students obliged, students departing to the library afterwards to administer their survey to their peers. Upon their return, they wanted to know why AADC returned to campus every week, why we thought voting was so important, and why talking to students made us hopeful about the future. The results below are positively revealing. The results below represent student responses to AADC survey questions.
PCDCC Communications
September 2025
News Survey 9/23/25
Is Free Speech Free?
The 1st. Amendment from 1791, includes the right of freedom of speech.
Which of these concern you the most?
The Supreme Court ruled that 1st. Amendment rights of companies are equal to the rights of individuals. So, they have the right to advertise to us. 10
“Citizens United” , a Supreme Court case, ruled that any limits on corporate political spending amount to a ban on free speech. 5
The rights of free speech shall not be infringed for anyone or any organization, even hate speech must be protected to protect free speech. 21
The 1st. Amendment includes,” Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion.”
Which of these concern you the most?
Separation of church and state means no government support of religious schools or any one religion. So, no posting of the 10 Commandments of Koran. 23
Federal laws and funds cannot support a particular religion. So, vouchers can only be used for public and private non-religious schools. Some states ignore this. 5
Support for voucher for school choice is being interpreted that government funds can go to any school at the choice of the parent, even religious ones. 3
In Trump’s inauguration speech he promised emphatically that he would protect free speech, including his critics.
Which of these bests fit your current thinking?
Charlie Kirk emphasized that all speech, no matter how offensive, was protected by the 1st. Amendment. 6
The White House has argued that there is a difference between free speech and hate speech or speech celebrating violence and so hate speech is illegal. 0
Legally, all kinds of speech-including hate speech-are protected by the 1st. Amendment, unless that speech is an incitement to violence. 26
Which of these attacks on free speech bother you most?
Mr. Trump suggested regarding any network that, “Maybe their license should be taken away” for airing negative content. 22
Trump’s Attorney General Bondi stated last week that “We will absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech, anything”. 6
The F.C.C. commissioner Carr threatened that the F.C.C. could take official action to get Mr. Kimmel off the air and indicated that others could lose their license. 2
Silencing Criticism and Avoiding Accountability
Jimmy Kimmel’s show was taken off the air after he made jokes critical of Charlie Kirk and the current administration. Brendan Carr the FCC chair threatened to revoke ABC broadcast license. This is similar to the cancelation of Stephen Colbert where the FCC threatened to block a merger unless this show was cancelled. The day after it was announced that the Colbert show was being cancelled the merger was approved.
Do you think the government should use its authority to remove shows critical of their administration? The Jimmy Kimmel has since been reinstated due to people boycotting and canceling ABC/Disney). YES 3 NO 60
In 2024, the Dept. of Agriculture’s Hunger Report stated that 18 million Americans went hungry. In 2025, the Dept. of Agriculture will not produce its Hunger Report going forward stating “these redundant, costly, politicized and extraneous studies do nothing more than fear monger”. This report has been produced every year since the 1990’s. This administrations spending bill drastically cuts funding for food assistance. If they don’t count, they won’t know how many people are impacted by these cuts.
Do you think that no longer publishing this report is an attempt to hide the effects of this bill on hunger in America? YES 5 NO 2
Last Friday, Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth sent a memo to news outlet telling them that they would have to sign a pledge not to acquire or report any unauthorized information, including unclassified information or their Pentagon press credentials will be revoked. The Supreme Court has previously ruled that journalists are entitled to obtain and publish government secrets.
Do you think that this administration should be able to control what information is published? YES 1 NO 59
Border Czar, Tom Homan, is alleged to have accepted $50,000 in cash from FBI agents posing as businessmen. In exchange for the bribe Homan promised to help them obtain government contracts. Trump directed his Department. of Justice to kill the investigation. Trump ran on the promise that he would release all files regarding Jeffrey Epstein’s trafficking young girls for sex, to rich powerful men and hold these men accountable. The Dept. of Justice has since declared that there are no files, and no evidence that anyone beside Epstein was involved.
Do you think the Department of Justice should release the evidence in these cases and publicly hold those involved in wrongdoing to account? YES 58 NO 1