The state school versus private school thing is a red herring.<p>Most public universities are run as trusts somewhat separated from the state governments that sponsor them.<p>Moreover, a state school pretty much has have policies equivalent to private universities.<p>Freedom of speech means the state doesn't go out and restrict what people say in their own property or in public areas. The constitution's Freedom Of Speech claus isn't a freedom of speech on government property as such; your speech is very much restricted inside a courtroom, for example and even Rush Limbaugh hasn't been dumb enough to challenge that one.<p>Elementary school students aren't accorded freedom of speech either. Perhaps they should be but that's not the kind of freedom Rush Limbaugh is after, I think.