Free Speech Advocacy

Colleges have always been a beacon for free speech. College campuses have historically been a place where students get exposed to new opinions and formulate new opinions that they otherwise would not have been able to develop at home. As time has passed, and society has trended more progressive, there has been a larger demand for more regulated speech. That speech being the more controversial speech that tends to be at the polar extremes of both sides of the political spectrum in the United States. In the past couple years, more and more college campuses have been putting more extensive limits on free speech on college campuses. In particular, campuses have moved to banning the hanging or placing of items in windows that are in the public eye of people around the campus.

One college that began doing this was Ohio State University. In 2017, the University moved to ban the displaying of personal items in the dorm windows of their residence halls. This has happened in colleges around the United States including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the University of New Mexico to name a couple. This trend has continued as school administrators make various claims for the reason they implement such a policy. Some of the reasonings we have seen so far from universities include; “It makes the University look trashy”, “It is a safety concern”, and “It will help prevent discriminatory speech”.

In the Spring 2020 semester, there was indication that a policy of this kind would be heading to the University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire. While I was in a meeting with a member of housing, they disclosed that this was something that they were looking to implement as soon as the following semester. Since then, the University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire has implemented such a policy. Anything put in a window is now subject to a write up by a member of the Housing and Residence Life Staff. Upon hearing this from the housing employees, I was surprised that the University would move forward with such a policy. They asked for our feedback. The feedback I gave was very critical of the policy because I am an advocate for free speech. I do not care if your opinion is different from mine, you have just as much right to voice your opinion as I do.

It is my understanding that the point of college is to better prepare students for the careers they have chosen and to expose them to different views in order to make them more well rounded members of society. I think that limiting free speech by implementing this policy will not only hurt the diversity of opinions but create more intolerance among students moving forward. This policy and my opinions on free speech sparked my interest on the constitutionality of this policy. That is why I am doing research on free speech on public college campuses. Students have a voice for a reason. If they feel their voice is not being heard, they will let you know. That will especially be the case if the policy implemented is done so for less than valid reasons. I can’t wait to dive into the research phase of this project and start developing a more informed stance on this topic.