Lawmakers are, undoubtedly, getting an earful about Moore's selection to speak at UVSC. As elected officials, they have an obligation to their constituents to make some inquiries. But is it their place to legislate how student fees should be spent?

As Rep. Craig Frank, R-Pleasant Grove, told the Deseret Morning News, "Student government is a democratic process, and if (students) don't like what their leaders have done, they can vote them out. That's how they can fix that. That's how they take care of (state legislators), too."

Hopefully, Frank can help calm this roiling controversy, which has some legislators hinting that the selection of Moore as a speaker and his high speaking fee could be problematic the next time the college (and other state institutions) ask the Legislature for funding. After all, some lawmakers say, these institutions exist at the will of the Legislature.

The last thing we want is lawmakers making or influencing "content" decisions at public colleges and universities through not-so-veiled threats of cutting or withholding state funds. Higher education is supposed to challenge one's beliefs and ideas. It's also the training ground for tomorrow's elected leaders.

State lawmakers, many of whom are products of Utah's public colleges and universities, should demonstrate their confidence in the democratic process by permitting UVSC students and their elected leaders to work through this teaching moment themselves.

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Marjorie Cortez is a Deseret Morning News editorial writer. E-mail: marjorie@desnews.com