Preview

Summary: The Influence Of First Amendments On College Campuses

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
789 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
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 …show more content…

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

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Should a principal or other school authority be able to silence other forms of student speech? If so, under what conditions? How does speech by an individual student differ from speech by the school newspaper?…

    • 709 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    I, _______, agree that school officials should be able to remove student publications when they believe material is unsuitable for younger students, or for reasons it could possibly disrupt the educational curriculum. If students are allowed "freedom of speech" other students could be slandered indirectly such as what occured in this case or fights may ensue due to disagreements. Yes, we as Americans have rights to speak our minds freely, but most students are minors and are under the supervision of the school. The school has the right to control what is allowed within its walls and must moniter students' doings in order to ensure the safety and eduaction of all students.…

    • 254 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Garner Vo-Tech Case Study

    • 1706 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Schools may regulate student speech that results in a material and substantial disruption within the school. Tinker v. Des Moines Indep. Cmty. Sch. Dist., 393 U.S. 503, 509, 513 (1969). Garner Vo-Tech must show either that there was an actual disruption within the school or that officials reasonably anticipated a material and substantial disruption was likely to occur. Alternatively, the Court could expand the exception found in Morse that waives the disruption requirement and include speech that calls for the bullying and harassment of a specific student. Morse v. Fredrick, 551 U.S. 393, 407 (2007).…

    • 1706 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Some argue that hate speech should be used outside of campus and away from students who might be offended, but in classrooms learning about hate speech is a place to start discussing it. Harvard is an example where speech codes would not benefit students in their education where students who want to become “young lawyers also need education in the habit of equanimity in the face of hostility; in the skill of mustering social pressure to fight those battles of which law is inapt or too expensive; indecency and courage to speak up on behalf of those who are being treated rudely” (Volokh). Being able to stand up and protect others can be taught in classrooms, but if speech codes disallow students to contend their discussions, the experience and education would be lost which would rather than support education, demolish it. Also, the ability to problem solve in a tense situation can be very important for students working their way into lawyers who normally deal with hostile language and social…

    • 923 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Silvergate notes that limiting free speech would fall to the responsibility of college administrators who will undoubtedly over censor due to the broad harassment regulations the proposed bill contains. He supports this point by adding that the Individual Rights Foundation, FIRE already claims harassment as “the most abused tool to limit free speech.”…

    • 322 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “Protecting Freedom of Expression on the Campus”, the author, Derek Bok shows how expressing yourself falls under the First Amendment, whether it is on a private college campus or public college campus. He further explains that just because it is protected by law does not mean that it is “right, proper, or civil. Bok goes on to show how censoring freedom of speech would cause people to “test the limits” to gain more attention than is needed and if dealt with in the proper manner, behaviors such as displaying a Confederate flag or a swastika in rebuttal of the flag can be avoided. Freedom of expression is a right and should not…

    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    This article talked about how the students of UC Berkeley were protesting against a speech being given at their school, and how the sponsors of this group were forced to pay $15,000 in security fees. Then on top of that fee the school paid an additional $600,000 to create cemented barriers and have armed forces on campus during the meeting. Personally I feel these precautions were unnecessary however due to the way students were reacting it had to be done. Another subject brought up in the article was the fact that 44 percent of students said that the First Amendment does not protect "hate speech", 51 percent said that they would be in favor of students speaking out against a speaker "known for making offensive and hurtful statements" and 19 percent of students said the use of violence against controversial speakers is acceptable. This information frustrates me because freedom of speech is black and white, personal opinions shouldn’t interfere with our rights.…

    • 277 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    As Roger Rosenblatt endured in countries of constrained inhabitants, “the secret publication of books, the pirated music, the tricky subversive lines of poetry read at vast gatherings of tens of thousands. And the below the surface comedy” (503) will continuously arise no matter the discouragement present. In a country founded on its freedoms, the retraction of any of those privileges will be met with extreme adversity. Moreover, “since free is the way people's minds were made to be” (Rosenblatt 502) the restriction of verbal expression will only cause riots and outrage. Currently, various universities and colleges have faced the backlash of unjust speech limitations on their campuses. One student attending a college in Arizona prepares to sue the school for, “her school’s so-called “speech zone,” arguing the policy “severely limited” her right to free speech and due process” (Harkness). Reactions to a decrease in the liberty to speak freely induces immediate retaliation and hardship, in addition, to being entirely unnecessary. To keep the peace and stability, the United States must keep the freedom of speech as it was intended to be used, freely.…

    • 1325 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    “Women, sexual assault victims, people of color, transgender students. College campuses have created “safe spaces” for all sorts of marginalized groups. But in the process, one member of the campus community has lost precious real estate. Free speech” (1). This quote from the article “Free Speech is Flunking Out on College Campuses” by Catherine Rampell introduces the idea that the right to freedom of speech is being squashed. All over the country, colleges are taking away this right from their students in order to protect others, but in reality, they are only stripping them of what is protected under the Constitution. Censorship has spread to social media apps causing students to be in constant danger of being accused of harassment. Claims…

    • 1269 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In higher education, public universities/colleges in the United States of America must respect students’ civil rights. These rights are stated under the United States Constitution, one entitlement is the First Amendment. The First Amendment protects the freedom of speech. Every student in an institution has the right to the freedom of speech. One free speech topic is the freedom in student press/ publication. Freedom in student press/publication is a speech is protected under the First Amendment. The student has the right to his or her own opinion. When these rights are violated, the student can file suit against the college and/or university.…

    • 1007 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cyberbullying Dbq

    • 283 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The third reason schools should limit students’ online speech because it violates civil rights. The Department of Education is strongly opposed to cyberbullying and believes that school has the responsibility to do so when a target’s civil rights are being violated. (Document G)…

    • 283 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    First Amendment In School

    • 258 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Modern day students have found a new way to harass others through social media sites and electronics. Cyber bullying is on the rise and school administrators are having a difficult time creating a safe learning environment for all students without infringing upon first amendment rights. School officials now have to ask themselves when it is appropriate to punish students for behavior outside of class. All school systems should have the power to override a student’s freedom of speech if that student causes substantial disruption of the school environment.…

    • 258 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the United States of America and in almost all countries, there are laws against harassment, libel, threats, and incitement to commit crimes. These speech codes are for the safety of citizens and are often used to suppress hate speech in private institutions and in the workplace. Speech codes should be allowed on college campuses in order to create a safe environment for people of different sexes, races, sexual orientation, religions, and classes, and to provide an equal learning environment for all by limiting the freedom of speech.…

    • 1668 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The first amendment: freedom of speech is violated with censorship. In the ALA Library Bill of Rights, parents, and only parents, have the right to prohibit or control what their children read. Freedom of expression and of opinion is for everyone, not just for the people that the majority thinks are right. In 1953, Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas said, “Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could easily defeat us,”(Quotations: First Amendment, Censorship…). This shows that even the government can see the harmful effects of book banning. Furthermore, “the school alone has the final say in what books are appropriate for the children under its care to read,…

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In many of today’s developed nations we take pride in the fact that it has become a standard for children growing up to attend school in order to receive a formal education. This monumental accomplishment is very new to human history that now there exists a global movement that believes that regardless of gender, race, or economic status everyone deserves the right to pursue an education. Reform in educational practices has been a fairly common practice. Much so that not only do parents and students alike expect change, they demand it. In the past fifty years we have watched literacy rates reach an all time high, and the age of information, also referred to as the computer age, has rooted a deep technological understanding into the minds of students all around the world. In order to achieve this much progression surely the standard of living for students must have improved dramatically, right? On the contrary a recent national survey by USA Today reports that the level of students reported living with extreme levels of stress caused by their learning environments. (Jayson) Around the country students are being forced to adapt to today’s high academic standard. In order to do so, schools are using intimidation to take first amendment rights away from students because the rights of the majority are overlooked due to the actions of the few.…

    • 2348 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays