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Campus Speech Restrictions
It's only tangentially related to the internet, but the Chronicle of Higher Education is running a story about 'free-speech zones' being set up at certain colleges. Or, if you look at it another way, 'non-free-speech zones' being set up. Assuming these 'zones' are administered in the same way as they are in New York City, the object is to make the zone as far away as possible from anywhere they could be heard, so as to minimize the impact of the protest. I found the article quite interesting as a recap of the current state of campus speech restrictions.
I visited my girlfriend at California State University in Chico.
They have a section of a park which is reserved for free speech. I asked a few people what that meant about the rest of the campus and it was eerie -- everybody seemed to think of it as a cool extra that had been granted to them. Nobody saw it as something taken away.
*shudder* ... double plus good for the Orwelians, I suppose.
It seems to me that it is kind of worrying how it's even necessary that such zones are required. According to the Constition, isn't the entire US a free speech zone?
In any case, I've looked into issues about free speech on campus' in the past, and it's scary. Profs being suspended because people find discussing the history of slavery offensive, and other similar things. I can't remember many of the specifics, but it seems only a small number of profs have been standing up to the trend to prevent the open discussion of ideas.
If I can dig up any of the references, I'll post them.
The traditional (but not mandated) area for protest speech and such is a place known as the Stump, literally an old tree stump that people stand and shout on that is in the plaza next to the student union, library and engineering buildings. There would be serious problems with creating a "free speech zone" elsewhere on campus.
Meldroc, Waster of Electrons
...it's the administration in most cases, or namby-pamby "student leaders".
As a student leader myself, this sickens me. Personally, I'm a WASP male from a mainline Christian church. That hasn't stopped me from denonuncing those in our SGA who would seek to deny the rights of students with differing viewpoints. If such a proposal as described by this article showed up at UAH, I would be on it like white on rice, and I would transfer if it held.
If something ludicrous like this is going on at your school, you have a right to complain about it. Pester your student government representatives--they usually don't hear directly from students and are easily swayed with good logic. Flood your student newspaper--most of them are staffed by liberal idealists who will be sympathetic to your cause and should believe in the cause of free speech.
Most importantly, do anything you can to make your voice heard. Colleges and universities have three customers: the private sector, their monetary donors, and the students. In serving the students, they serve the other two customers well. In failing to serve the students, they will go bankrupt--morally and fiscally.
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-- Geof F. Morris
I really think that Universites should be very careful with what types of rules they put in and be very careful that they apply them equaly to all groups. But I do think there are a few cases where there can be rules, for example if you said that you wanted to hold a rally outside a dorm at 3:00 am I think they would have every right to say, no you can't do that. But besides that I think they should bascily say anything goes.
Now at least where I went to School campus rallies always happened at the Usdan Student center, but that was mostly because it was the logical place to have them, for one thing the Radio station (WBRS) was there and would probably put the whole thing on the air.
The cure of the ills of Democracy is more Democracy.
Erlang Developer and podcaster
1. Find student who has a good cause but who has been beaten down for free speech in "inappropriate areas".
2. Get legal students to run down court precedents and applicable case law.
3. Present above to constitutional lawyer, offer him case on spec for fifty percent (maybe you want to haggle a little here). Keep some for yourself, and pay a little to the defendant. (after all, they deserve something).
4. Hopefully win court case. Not a sure thing, but you need to work on it.
5. If you win, start legal students to rounding up all other students with similar cases at other schools. Make bulk deal with lawyer. Try to space them out enough that there is no cause for consolidation as a class action.
This could be a nifty little side career while you are going to school.
*whup* "Get along, little electrons. Heeyah!"
But, in the case of students, it's a little harder. The way that they enforce this is to not get caught up in whether or not they are trying to restrict speech, but whether or not the speech is in a place that could cause problems for other students. There's a whole set of case law about this, from people who protested at malls, etc etc.
And it's legal. They can't restrict what you say, but they sure as hell can restrict where you are standing when you say it.
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Liberty undefended is Liberty lost.
High School students are indoctrinated in Government schools so it is not surprising that they know nothing about real freedom.
To the Moon!
http://www.beefjerky.com
I attended Mississippi State University and they have an area like this right next to the post office, and diagonally accross from the student union. It's a very visible place and right next to one of the highest foot-traffic area on campus. People preaching/yelling from this area could be heard a good 60-75 yards in any direction.
...All I can say is that my life is pretty strange...
...people went to University specifically to be challenged, offended, and otherwise exposed to the ideas of others?
There's a lot of quibbling over whether or not a University administration has the right to restrict free-speech in certain areas. Who cares if they have the right? The scary part is that they're trying to impose restrictions at all. Universities were once the strongholds of revolutions -- doesn't it frighten anybody that the these long-held bastions have finally been overrun? Even if the policies restricting speech are overruled, the basic fact that they are being attempted means we are starting to lose University campuses as safe-houses.
The 60's as a whole is probably rolling over in its grave.
In most colleges in India, esp. professional colleges (like engg., medicine, etc) it's always been that way. Atleast you have places in these institutes for free speech, but here you dare no say a thing against the management. If you do, you can be rest assured that you're screwed up in your labs. So much so that we are not allowed to grow long hair or wear any heavy metal band t-shirts (they are branded 'satanic').... and you do anything that even vaguely resembles what they consider rebellish, you can pack away your records for the next sem. And there's nothing we can do about it except wait till we get out.... life, as they say, sucks.
"...Fear the people who fear your computer"