Spring Break
NT ignores freedom of speech
Shawn Griffiths
Issue date: 4/5/07 Section: OPINION
The freedom of speech is in jeopardy and public institutions of higher education are responsible. This is an issue that concerns our campus, and affects every member of this university. Yet, you continue to give your silent consent to this travesty.
Whether it is blindness in believing the propaganda of the university or you are just too afraid to say something, you have remained silent about this issue. You have chosen to ignore the truth, and the truth is that there is something terribly wrong with this university. Our administration has decided that they can do what the President of the United States, the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Supreme Court, even the state courts and legislature do not have the authority to do, and that is to put restrictions on our freedom of speech.
Of course, they do not want you to think that they are stomping on your rights that are guaranteed by the constitution. They will say that instead of hindering your freedoms, they are just keeping the peace. They will say that they are just ending harassment instead of admitting to violating the U.S. Constitution. The question then becomes, what is the definition of harassment?
The university's definition of harassment is anything that can be deemed offensive. If the university believes that your organization is out to spread a message that they think could possibly offend someone, it will do everything in its power to keep you from getting that message out. While it might start off its free speech policy by saying that it respects your right to free speech, it goes on to list free speech areas and other restrictions on that speech and, according to the university, it supposedly has a right to deny you of your ability to practice your freedom of speech.
They will deny your ability to be able to use the free speech areas, in which organizations at NT have to use if they want to have a table or an event to get their ideas out. Free speech areas? Sounds like a contradiction in terms really. I mean, the only place you have free speech on this campus are these seven areas, and your speech is only allowed within the confines of these areas. You are not allowed to step off the grass to talk to people or give them handouts. The people have to come to you. You might think of these areas as more like free speech containment zones. Since the university is public property, you would assume that free speech should be allowed throughout all areas of the university.
Institutions of higher education like NT are supposed to be free markets of thought, allowing ideas to be exchanged and debated freely and publicly. But when the administration labels a group radical, when the president of the university calls the actions of a group stupid and when you pile on these ridiculous free speech policies, it would seem that the administration that preaches diversity, diversity, diversity is ignoring the most important type of diversity: the diversity of thought.
Shawn Griffiths is a poliical science junior from Grand Prairie, and the chairman of the NT Young Conservatives. He can be reached at shawn.griffiths@mac.com.
Whether it is blindness in believing the propaganda of the university or you are just too afraid to say something, you have remained silent about this issue. You have chosen to ignore the truth, and the truth is that there is something terribly wrong with this university. Our administration has decided that they can do what the President of the United States, the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Supreme Court, even the state courts and legislature do not have the authority to do, and that is to put restrictions on our freedom of speech.
Of course, they do not want you to think that they are stomping on your rights that are guaranteed by the constitution. They will say that instead of hindering your freedoms, they are just keeping the peace. They will say that they are just ending harassment instead of admitting to violating the U.S. Constitution. The question then becomes, what is the definition of harassment?
The university's definition of harassment is anything that can be deemed offensive. If the university believes that your organization is out to spread a message that they think could possibly offend someone, it will do everything in its power to keep you from getting that message out. While it might start off its free speech policy by saying that it respects your right to free speech, it goes on to list free speech areas and other restrictions on that speech and, according to the university, it supposedly has a right to deny you of your ability to practice your freedom of speech.
They will deny your ability to be able to use the free speech areas, in which organizations at NT have to use if they want to have a table or an event to get their ideas out. Free speech areas? Sounds like a contradiction in terms really. I mean, the only place you have free speech on this campus are these seven areas, and your speech is only allowed within the confines of these areas. You are not allowed to step off the grass to talk to people or give them handouts. The people have to come to you. You might think of these areas as more like free speech containment zones. Since the university is public property, you would assume that free speech should be allowed throughout all areas of the university.
Institutions of higher education like NT are supposed to be free markets of thought, allowing ideas to be exchanged and debated freely and publicly. But when the administration labels a group radical, when the president of the university calls the actions of a group stupid and when you pile on these ridiculous free speech policies, it would seem that the administration that preaches diversity, diversity, diversity is ignoring the most important type of diversity: the diversity of thought.
Shawn Griffiths is a poliical science junior from Grand Prairie, and the chairman of the NT Young Conservatives. He can be reached at shawn.griffiths@mac.com.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
David
posted 4/05/07 @ 1:44 PM CST
Can anyone sign up for the free speech areas or do you have to be a registered organization?
Who will sponsor my pro NAMBLA group? Sadly, too few. (Continued…)
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