Speech Codes

At Michigan State University, their handbook states that all students must be able to learn in an environment free from emotional stressors and any form of physical or emotional harassment will not be tolerated. They have strict codes about sexual harassment and what qualifies as such. Activities, even if they are legal, that create stress upon student will not be tolerated. Verbal and non-verbal harassment will cause a student to be closely monitored. Michigan State holds its student to rules that do not exist in the real world. These rules will impair my ability to express my views and feelings about the world. They say that they take pride in freedom of speech, but by enforcing their speech codes they contradict themselves. I do not view the school with such high thoughts as I did before researching their policies. I see them as another form of authority abusing their power and trying to find ways around the Constitution and Bill of Rights. I believe that the universities speech codes are unconstitutional and infringe on the basic rights given to the US citizen. In the real world we can express ourselves however we see fit as long as we don’t harm others. The school system is trying to change this and restrict free speech to anything that cannot be found as offensive to any specific group. I support their hopes of a stress free learning environment, but I do not support restricting free speech to do so.