Free speech on campus

Erica Santiago / Opinion Director

opinion@fiu.edu

The term “Worlds Ahead” is a motto Florida International University claims to live by and enforce within the university’s student body. By claiming to be “worlds ahead,” FIU projects an image of a progressive university that fosters the creative expressions of it’s forward-thinking scholars.

We constantly see students express their social, economic and political stances via protests and demonstrations around campus. Examples would be FIU’s National Organization for Women standing against rape culture via their annual Miami Slut Walk and protests against police brutality through students’ involvement in the Black Lives Matter movement.

But does FIU’s free speech policy really live up to the university’s “Worlds Ahead” initiative? A rating provided by the Foundations for Individual Rights in Education suggests otherwise.

FIRE rates university free speech policies by assigning a particular color. FIU was given the color “yellow” meaning that that there is at least one aspect to FIU’s free speech policy that can be viewed as either vague or questionable when addressing students’ rights to free speech.

Though it’s not clear as what exactly that aspect of the policy is, many students do have an issue with FIU’s policy of having to “apply” to free speech. If students wish to host a demonstration or protest on campus said students must fill out an application.

Some students feel that having to apply to exercise free speech can intimidate student activist organizations. If it doesn’t intimidate them then it can certainly stifle their voice should their application not be approved.

This policy of applying for the right to demonstrate on campus raises the question as to what demonstrations would get rejected.

Last year pro-life advocates protested on campus against abortions. Part of their demonstration included graphic pictures of unborn and mutilated fetuses as well as comparisons of abortion to murder.

Any student can also recall radical Christian groups loudly preaching to students how we’re all “going to hell” and yelling homophobic slurs.

Did those same groups have to apply for their free speech? Where is the line drawn?

All universities have free speech policies and each differ in some way shape or form, but not all of them involve having to actually apply for the right to demonstrate.

Students should not feel intimidated or stifled when trying to voice their concerns about the environment around them. Free policies are necessary because there should be rules and regulations that ensure that demonstrations do not impede on other student’s ability to learn. However, free speech is a right – not something that needs to be applied for.

If FIU wishes to be on the forefront of change and call themselves “worlds ahead” then the university should understand that college-age students have historically been the catalysts of great change. To stifle our voices or intimidating us by putting us through an application process is not only questionable at best, but also a disservice to those of us who truly want to advocate change that is “worlds ahead” of where we are now.

[Image from F