Should Students’ Free Speech Be Restricted on Campus? Review of Credible Sources on the Topic

Many students are assigned to write argumentative and persuasive essays about free speech on campus. Their task is to analyze the issue, weigh arguments of all parties and express a personal opinion. Of course, as citizens of the democratic country, most Americans rush to support free speech. However, it is worth studying the topic more profoundly and not making hasty conclusions.

Experts from Pro-Papers.com have written this article to give you a general idea of free speech and reviewed some credible sources which should make your argumentation more convincing.

What is free speech on campus?

There are both positive and negative forms of free speech. It is good that young people can express their views on the political life of the country, discuss debatable topics and participate in peaceful protests.

However, some people believe that they are free to be rude with professors, give inappropriate comments, discriminate classmates on a racial, religious, gender or another basis, display vulgar pictures, support violence, be arrogant because of a high social status of their families, create offensive posts in social networks.

It is worth noting that:

• All the above types of free speech are protected by the First Amendment, even though the latter examples have a destructive impact on society, provoke hate and unrest.
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• People claiming that free speech should be banned usually place an emphasis on the second set of manifestations, believe that rigid state control can prevent harassment and social pressure, while the educational process should not be hindered.
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• Free speech advocates are assured that the government hides selfish motifs under the guise of care for students, tries to avoid conversations on political topics in an academic community, prevents young people from thinking critically and analyzing mistakes of a ruling elite.

The government is not the only party trying to limit free speech. Students themselves often ask a university administration to establish strict rules, especially those who study in prestigious educational institutions, for example, for using an essay writing service. If a person pays high tuition fees, one counts on respect from surrounding people, does not tolerate discrimination and humiliation. If some conflicts take place, offended students are ready to bring a problem to a court.

In fact, free speech may be both dangerous and useful for young people. It is worth avoiding conversations and posters offending minorities. Such things are inappropriate for the country considering equity and respect as one of its main values.

At the same time, the government may overdo it with tolerance and erase some fragments from US history. It is senseless to pretend that there was no slavery, child labor, and other unpleasant things. There are facts, and students have the right to know them.

Take into account that the First Amendment is valid only for public schools and universities. Private educational institutions can establish internal rules. Free speech advocates claim that not all students have money to study in a private university, and it seems that only rich people can express their opinion not being afraid of punishment.

Free speech opponents place an emphasis on the fact that education and regulations are synonymous. The academic world cannot exist without exams, marks, curricula, uniforms, strict schedules. Why then there should be no etiquette for communication on campus?

Sources on the topic

Check out some sources which may come in handy when writing an essay about freedom of speech on campus.

“Students challenge free-speech rules on college campuses”

This article by Teresa Watanabee shows how educational institutions discriminated students when they wanted to speak against National Security Agency or support marijuana legalizing. Also, a student blog was oppressed because of alleged administrative corruption.

The author pays attention to the fact that internal codes of many colleges do not correspond to rights and freedoms prescribed at state level. These institutions continue ignoring their First Amendment responsibilities and limiting free speech even after receiving lawsuits. The main reason for such behavior is the fear of students able to think critically and demand changes.

“Hate speech and campus speech codes”

In this article, David L. Hudson supports speech regulations, explains that excessive freedom leaves room for inequality and discrimination. On the author’s opinion, current restrictive codes are ineffective and way too vague, because of which many offended persons lose their cases in courts. Even though examples of harassing behavior are provided, it is difficult to predict all possible situations. Much work should be done to receive positive results.

“The hell you say: the new battles over free speech are fierce, but who is censoring whom?”

This article from The New Yorker shows contradictions observed in a modern society where everyone wants to be protected from discrimination but, at the same time, express one’s opinion freely. The author analyzes both sides without supporting anyone.