Despite recent controversies, no one attends U. alum's talk on hate crimes

At a campus where incidents of ethnic intimidation and free speech controversies seem commonplace, University graduate Brian Levin thought his speech on how hate crimes have affected American society would be received with much interest and support. But no students attended his lecture last night. "I mis-appraised the concern that students had about hate crimes," remarked History Professor Robert Engs, who organized the event. "I'm a bit embarrassed for our speaker." However, Levin, currently the legal director of the Center for the Study of Ethnic and Racial Violence in Edgewood, Colo., was still eager to talk about the issue of hate speech and crime. "People don't realize there is no broadly applicable federal hate crime law," he said. "If someone murdered a black or Jew, that is not enough for federal jurisdiction. You have to show a specific intent." He explained, though, that he is vehemently opposed to speech codes curbing free expression. "I think people talking at each other is a symptom of a disease, and speech codes are like taking aspirin to cure a cancer," Levin said. "Most institutions have already scrapped speech codes, including Stanford in a well-publicized case." Levin added that many hate crimes are caused by individuals looking for excitement. "Contrary to some belief, the vast majority of hate crimes are not committed by members of organized hate groups," he said. Levin began his research at the University before graduating in 1989. Since then, he has done work for civil rights groups, including testifying before Congress and writing Supreme Court briefs on hate crime. Levin used his research at the University to write a report that showed the harm associated with hate crimes. The report was used in the 1990 passage of the Hate Crimes Statistics Act. Levin has gone on to work on every piece of federal legislation with regard to hate crimes. In May, Levin will be joining the Southern Poverty Law Center located in Montgomery, Alabama. Until then, he continues to travel cross-country to speak out against hate and speech codes.