The issue of punishing the students who blocked the talk is likely to be controversial. Robert M. O’Neil, professor of law emeritus at the University of Virginia and an authority on First Amendment and academic freedom issues, said that he is not certain punishments help in these situations. "It's likely to be counterproductive," he said. More important is -- if at all possible -- to get a speaker who was blocked from speaking back on campus and show that the institution is committed to free speech. That would send more of a message, he said, than punishing students. The em...