Free Speech on college campuses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Free Speech on college campuses - Essay Example said in his essay On Liberty in Utilitarianism Etc, people, in this case, students should be given the "fullest liberty of professing and discussing, as a matter of ethical conviction, any doctrine, however immoral it might be considered." (Mill, John Stuart, 1910) Voltaire was even more specific on the issue of freedom of speech when he said "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it" (Voltaire 1906). The freedom of speech takes on a more urgent and important role inside the school campus. First, it serves as medium for sharing of ideas and knowledge, second, it facilitates decision-making, and third, it clarifies issues and helps facilitate changes for the better. When students are allowed to freely express themselves, the learning process becomes more dynamic and pro-active. Since everyone is free to present their ideas and challenge the ideas of others, academic discussions become more interesting and liberating. On the other hand, controlling and curtailing the freedom of speech in the campus tends to stifle and kill the natural creativity of the students. Who would want to present their ideas if these ideas will only be subjected to censorship? Yes, it is true that the freedom of speech inside the campus requires a lot of tolerance to nonsense, idiosyncrasy and bad taste but these are just small prices that we all have to pay to make the learning process more dynamic. Beside s, according to the Court in the case of Roth v US 354 US 476 (1957), any person who feels that he or she is maligned by the obscenities uttered by another person has the right to go to Court for redress. When it comes to decision-making, freedom of speech is very important. Note that a decision made in the campus without proper consultation among the concerned students can lead to a lot of protests. A school that makes decisions without really knowing what the students want is putting itself in a very compromising position. If we recall the