Debating Free Speech in University Settings

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

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