University Schools Students on the Merits of Free Speech — and the Importance of Reporting ‘Harmful’ Speech – Opinion

Did you have a free speech program in your school days? It was simply that America allows speech to be free.

Students at the University of Iowa will enjoy a special First Amendment celebration this month.

The exploration — lasting from February 16th through April 7th — was announced in January by the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

The training program is available to faculty members, students and staff.

The Board of Regents and Iowa’s public universities are committed to supporting the principles of free expression guaranteed by the First Amendment for all members of our campus community. Understanding the fundamental principles of First Amendment freedom to express your views is the first step to creating an environment on campus that welcomes all viewpoints.

To help campus residents better understand rights to freedom of expression, the Board created a 15-minute training module. The training must be completed by all students, faculty and staff prior to the start of the Spring 2022 semester.

Participation, the “Free Speech and Challenging Conversations” webpage makes clear, is “important to [U of I’s] continued commitment to providing an educational, living and working environment that protects the First Amendment rights of all members of the campus community.”

Beyond the mandate, panel discussions and workshops will “assist UI community members” in the following:

• Navigating situations that involve free speech­­
• Applying various institutional values/policies/definitions across campus
• Negotiating possibly contradictory values/policies
• Recognize and care for anyone who is directly affected or targeted by hate speech

One component of the training will see attendees “practice specific skills and scenarios related to free speech.” Such exercise will be aided by “experts from Inclusive Education and Strategic Initiatives, the OTLT Center for Teaching, the Division of Student Life, and the Iowa Program for Public Life.”

Additionally covered: “the policies and expectations related to free speech,” along with “how to identify if a situation needs to be reported based on a policy or values violation, and how to locate resources for consultation or report possible violations.”

Per a link provided, University of Iowa confirms that “freedom of expression is indispensable to a university’s ability to transmit knowledge and is fundamental to the ability of members of a university community to discover, explore, interpret, and question knowledge.”

However, the school also directs to an article titled “Balancing Free Speech And Inclusion: Four Simple Strategies for Campus Leaders.”

“All students on campus,” it asserts, deserve “not only to speak but to be heard, and to be taken seriously.”

“Putting forth a positive view of how campuses can balance free speech and inclusion,” apparently, “will pay numerous dividends.”

If free speech is to be “balanced” in relation to “inclusion,” mustn’t that mean it will be impeded?

The University of Iowa’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion arm offers instruction for “reporting problems.”

These complications do not concern impingements upon free speech but the reverse.

If you see any discrimination or hate speech on campus, please let us know. Please let us know if you spot something. For support if you’ve been the victim of discrimination or bias, reach out to us. The university community can report prejudice or discrimination incidents securely online to the Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) or the Campus Inclusion Team.

Actual crimes can be simply reported to police. As for “bias” involving language, that once was known as “free speech.”

America has changed, and it isn’t done. Not long ago, one might’ve been shocked to see the term “report” used when discussing First Amendment issues unless it concerned a violation of freedom.

Many people believe that they have the right not to be offended these days.

Some claim we’re being infantilized; but who’s to say they aren’t off base?

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Be free, kids…but not too much.

-ALEX

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