NYT op-ed: Colleges and universities "probably do as much to repress free speech as any other institution in young people’s lives"

Image: NYTimes.com

In a New York Times op-ed today, Greg Lukianoff argues that colleges and universities "probably do as much to repress free speech as any other institution in young people’s lives." He provides examples of "free speech zones" for political protesters, and oaths students sign at some institutions promising (for example) "civility," "inclusiveness," and "kindness." While private institutions have greater leeway in restricting speech, Lukianoff explains that, "In a study of 392 campus speech codes last year, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, where I work, found that 65 percent of the colleges had policies that in our view violated the Constitution’s guarantee of the right to free speech." You can read Lukianoff's full article here.

Does your institution employ similar restrictions on student speech? How are those restrictions received? Any UDCers studying or confronting this topic?