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Importance of freedom of speech in higher education
Freedom of speech on campus
Freedom of speech on campus
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Recommended: Importance of freedom of speech in higher education
Free speech on college campuses has been a heavily debated topic in academia and in recent years it has made a comeback. There are many perspectives to the restriction and allowance of free speech. From the past court cases the rulings decided student’s speech can be punished if it disrupts school, is indecent, and if it is associated with the school. (Ross 176). However, this was in the case of high school students and during that time the court had ruled that there is a difference between a high school environment and a university environment. “In 1981, the Court declined to protect university students from religious messages because university students are young adults who are ‘less impressionable than younger students’” (Ross 176). Not …show more content…
Many college campuses adapt the use of speech codes to shield their students from vulgar and offensive language that reside in college campuses. The typical speech codes that are used on college campuses is to prevent the use of racial, sexist, and homophobic slurs. Speech codes originated from the regulation of fighting words on university campuses. The regulation originated from the Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire court case. However, this regulation was to prevent the use of offensive speech leading into violent actions. “…the doctrine as narrowed by the Supreme Court covers only speech that is likely to cause the listener to do violence…some campuses have sought to broaden its scope to include references to certain specified characteristics such as ethnicity or sexual orientation” (McGowan and Tangri 826). Speech codes on campuses not only apply to out of class events, but also in class work or assignments. In one case, a student wanted to discuss a controversial topic, but was afraid of violating speech codes. “Doe, who was also a teaching assistant, stated that he wanted to teach certain controversial theories positing biologically-based differences between sexes and races, but feared that doing so would make him liable to sanction under the policy” (McGowan and Tangri 832). This example demonstrates how the strict regulation of certain speeches affect a student’s opportunity to learn. So, why are speech codes enforced on college campuses? One of the main reasons why speech codes are enforced is to shield young adults from subjects that they could find
Throughout America, people place a high value in their freedom of speech. This right is protected by the first Amendment and practiced in communities throughout the country. However, a movement has recently gained momentum on college campuses calling for protection from words and ideas that may cause emotional discomfort. This movement is driven mainly by students who demand that speech be strictly monitored and punishments inflicted on individuals who cause even accidental offense. Greg Lukianoff and Johnathan Haidt discuss how this new trend affects the students mentally and socially in their article The Coddling of the American Mind published in The Atlantic Monthly. Lukianoff and Haidt mostly use logical reasoning and references to
College is full of new experiences, new people, and new communities, and many universities encourage the exchange of new ideas and diversity among students. This year, the University of Chicago sent out a letter to all of its incoming freshmen informing them that in keeping with their beliefs of freedom of expression and healthy discussion and debate, the school would not provide “safe spaces” or “trigger warnings”. Senior Sophie Downes found this letter to be misleading in many ways, including in the definitions of safe spaces and trigger warnings, as well as the issues it was addressing. Downes claims that the letter was misrepresenting the school, but also was using the letter as a sort
In her op-ed, "In College and Hiding From Scary Ideas", Shulevitz discusses the idea behind freedom of speech on college campuses and how safe spaces are snuffing it out. Shulevitz uses multiple examples of problems that have arisen because of safe spaces at universities such as Brown University, Columbia University, and Oxford 's University 's Christ Church college. Debate cancellations, essay opinions that caused protest, and other situations involving freedom of speech that Shulevitz uses to back up her opinion that safe spaces are nothing but harm to college campuses. According to Shulevitz Op-ed, safe spaces are nothing but an incubator that grows a festering amount of weak individuals who are destroying their social skills and developing
At this point in a college freshmen’s life, they have been in school for 14 years. Throughout those 14 years, freshmen have learned the Bill of Rights like they’ve learned how to walk and the first amendment the way they’ve learned to talk. The first amendment has been engrained in a child from the first history class in 5th grade, to the fifth history class in 9th grade and the eighth class in their senior year. In those eight years, a student has the first amendment in their head to bring to college and express themselves how they see fit and how they have been socialized to do so. According to Dinesh D’Souza, Stuart Taylor and Tim Robbins freedom of speech has been inhibited and taken out by politics and political correctness and fueled heavily by the societies need for preferential treatment.
Imagine a time when one could be fined, imprisoned and even killed for simply speaking one’s mind. Speech is the basic vehicle for communication of beliefs, thoughts and ideas. Without the right to speak one’s mind freely one would be forced to agree with everything society stated. With freedom of speech one’s own ideas can be expressed freely and the follower’s belief will be stronger. The words sound so simple, but without them the world would be a very different place.
Earlier this month in April, student protestors rioted at Berkley University because they did not want certain Conservative guest speakers to be able to give speeches at the university due to some of the speakers comments being inappropriate. According to the nonprofit organization committed to defending civil liberties named The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), "One worrisome trend undermining open discourse in the academy is the increased push by some students and faculty to 'disinvite' speakers with whom they disagree from campus appearances" (The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education). While the protesters were practicing their first amendment right to petition, the students were infringing upon the Conservative speakers freedom of speech which is unconstitutional. Just because the protesters may have disagreed with the speakers comments, does not mean that theys hould have prevented them from being able to express them. This is similar to the novel 1984 because the protestors controlled and censored what was able to be said at Berkeley University, just like how in the novel the Thought Police controlled what citizens said just because The Party disagreed with certain perspectives and didn’t want certain information to be
Colleges and universities control their faculties and students’ actions by shaming and criticizing their faculties and students on social media when the faculty’s or student’s actions cause distresses to other college students. They also control their faculties’ or students’ actions by firing the faculty or suspending the student. In an article that is posted on the website Newsweek, Nina Burleigh states that “American college campuses are starting to resemble George Orwell’s Oceania with its Thought Police, or East Germany under the Stasi. College newspapers have been muzzled and trashed, and students are disciplined or suspended for “hate speech,” while exponentially more are being shamed and silenced on social media by their peers. Professors quake at the possibility of accidentally offending any student and are rethinking syllabi and restricting class discussions to only the most anodyne topics.” The idea American colleges and universities are compared to the Stasi, the secret police of East Germany, or a thought police shows how dangerous and restrictive college campuses have become. This quote also cites the fact colleges have tried to censor their own newspaper as one of the examples how dangerous campuses have become. The fact that colleges try to censor their own newspaper and to intimidate their professors is troubling because this fact indicates that American colleges and
Martin P. Golding, the writer of Campus Speech Issues, examines the difference between freedom of speech, which is an american right by the first amendment, compared to speech codes, which are implemented in university rules and regulations to monitor and police certain unsavory speech on school grounds.
On November 15th I attended the CHASS event, “Liberty in Peril: Threats to Free Speech on Campus”. I learned the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) was formed when political correctness was getting out of control on college campuses and it’s known for rating speech codes at colleges across the nation. I learned what speech codes are. Speech codes are punishments that apply if a student or faculty member says something on campus they’re not supposed to, but they can say it off campus without punishment. I discovered NCSU has a yellow speech code rating, which means we have at least one ambiguous policy that easily encourages administrative abuse and arbitrary application. Mr. Shibley explained the 6 groups of people that have political interference threatening free speech. Political interference comes from, administrators, the public, trustees, faculty, politicians, and students. What I noticed about myself was how little I knew about free speech cautions that students and professors need to have on college campuses and how many cases universities nationwide have handled regarding threats to free
I chose to examine the ways in which safe spaces, as well as trigger warnings and microaggressions, violate free speech on college campuses which led me to my question: Do safe spaces limit other students’ and professors’ rights to free speech? The article I originally read argued that safe spaces and the oversensitivity of students are limiting their academic growth. Oversensitivity is preventing professors from teaching or saying what they want, and safe spaces are keeping students from hearing the ideas of others, whether or not they agree with them. Three of the additional five sources I looked at had the same perspective. A common understanding between these sources was that “universities are, first and foremost, designed to encourage
Freedom of speech is the right to express or communicate an individual’s ideas, views and opinions without any obstructions or fear of punishment. It is not limited to speech alone, and includes written and other forms of communication such as freedom of press which gives one the right to question, criticize and voice their opinions. Freedom of speech (or expression) is a fundamental human right which is also recognized by the constitution of India.
The smell of freshly trimmed grass pervades the quad on campus while walking to a 9am class. A few birds spring from the winding pathways onto tall trees craning over bustling students. Flowers are beginning to bloom, and while on this stroll at a college that students are so proud of attending, something disrupts the tranquility. Screams and yells come from a group of raging students; trying to get past the rowdy crowd, they shove their opinions down your throat. But this is just another day at school that is becoming too familiar. As time goes on, free speech proves to be more disruptive than affective on college campuses.
“College campuses have become fascist colonies of anti-American hate speech, hypersensitivity, speech codes, banded words and prohibited scientific inquiry.” (Ann Coulter). Safe-space is a term used to show that an educator, instructive establishment or under study does not endure free speech as a result of students being over-sensitive or feel offended. Shockingly as a consequence of safe-spaces, free speech has become endangered and intolerable. A speech code is a principle and regulation that bans speech afar from the strict laws of speech, their function is to stop badgering, criticism, defamation, and hate speech. These types of codes are most commonly used in Universities and private companies. Unfortunately, these speech codes have thwarted the urge to seek truth as well as influenced academic freedom, made students’ self-censor themselves, made the youth more fragile and oversensitive.
Freedom of speech is the right given to every individual. Everyone has been given the right to speak their mind and share their opinions. This right is always important but in higher learning, it is essential. Without freedom of speech the whole idea of higher education would just be a contradiction. When an institute of higher education tries to resist this right the whole purpose of the institute becomes contradicted. One needs their right to freely speak their mind for higher education to be a successful venture. The right to free speech is essential in higher education because it gives the individual the chance to fearlessly be who they are, the mind substance to develop and, the opportunity to bring better ideas about.
Freedom of speech in the United States provides countless benefits; however, free speech can also be problematic if not controlled or if controlled too much. Even if a seemingly perfect balance between too much and too little control could be reached, problems would still exist. Freedom of speech works conjointly with freedom of the press. When freedom of the press is considered it becomes necessary to take into account the policies of other nations, since freedom of the press is a global issue.