Protecting Freedom of Expression on the Campus

¶ … Right to Freedom of Expression Within the Walls of Educational Institutions

Educational institutions, especially those that specialize on higher education, are considered bastions of excellence where academic freedom and intellectual development are highly valued. In line with these objectives, educational institutions also aim to provide students not only with academic excellence and freedom, but healthy, yet, competitive social interaction among other students. The pursuit for academic excellence, academic freedom, and a socially healthy and competitive environment are indeed ideals that any student would want to have. However, today's social landscape has characteristically changed the composition of these academic institutions. American educational institutions have become a venue for a culturally diverse population, where people of different race, nationalities, religious and political affiliations, and socio-economic classes are put together to achieve these academic ideals. Over the years, one common problem about the cultural diverseness of these institutions have abound: the conflict between implementing freedom of speech (a form of academic freedom) and protecting these culturally diverse (i.e., non-Americans) from hateful and offensive speech (and even actions). As much as academic institutions support and encourage freedom of speech within the campus, it is always important to remember that utilizing these 'freedoms' -- that is, the freedom of expression -- must be exercised with regard to ethical considerations. These ethical considerations include freedom of expression of an individual or group without causing any harm to another individual or group. "Hate speech" can be tolerated, as long as no subsequent action has been committed by an individual or a group to another party. Thus, free speech is allowed as long as there are no occurrences of any subsequent (violent) actions. However, one guiding principle for students to follow is the fact that the freedom to express must always come with it morals and ethics, where an individual can express himself at the right context and time, and whether this expression of opinion, belief, or feeling is ethically right.