Summary: The Influence Of First Amendments On College Campuses

What speech does the first amendment protect on college campuses? By definition, a speech code is any rule or regulation that limits, restricts, or bans speech beyond the strict legal limitations upon freedom of speech or press found in the legal definitions of harassment, slander, libel, and fighting words (First Amendment). There is not one real speech code that all public college campuses follow. The first amendment includes freedom of speech, but does not limit any speech codes on college campuses. The first amendment states that students have the freedom of speech unless there is "substantial interference with school discipline or the rights of others". (First Amendment). The speech that is protected under the first amendment is very vague especially considering schools and campuses. Finding a set standard for what the speech codes for college campuses should be easier than it is now; there should be a set definition that lays out rules for speech on campuses. The first amendment states that only if a person’s speech has substantial interference with school discipline or the rights of others it may be censored. Most people take that how it is supposed to be taken. If you actually read the law, it is easy to see that many things
Some universities, such as Texas Tech, have taken down their designated free-speech zones. Public places that still have free-speech zones have many rules on them. Just to be able to use one of the “zones”, a person has to go through many levels of clearance and review. An argument to that is that free speech zones give people the rights that they want if they try hard enough. If a person really wants to speak their mind in a public place, they should not mind going through the supplements. Free speech zones are futile because they are so limiting that they are not “free” zones