Speech Codes Forever

You would think that a policy that both liberals and conservatives find abhorrent would cease to exist. Conversely, campus speech codes not only survive but thrive, according to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE).

“Between September 2005 and September 2006, FIRE surveyed over 330 schools and found that an overwhelming majority of them explicitly prohibit speech that, outside the borders of campus, is protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,” according to FIRE.

How overwhelming? FIRE only gave a green light to eight colleges. Meanwhile, the group found that:

• “Davidson College in North Carolina prohibits ‘comments or inquiries about
dating,’ ‘patronizing remarks,’ ‘innuendoes,’ and ‘dismissive comments.’

• “At Jacksonville State University in Alabama, students can be punished if they
‘offend’ anyone ‘on university-owned or operated property.’

• “At the University of Mississippi, ‘offensive language is not to be used’ over the
telephone.”

Malcolm A. Kline is the executive director of Accuracy in Academia.