Hate Speech on College Campuses

Today we'll, start with any additional comments about 7 Days in September.
Then, we'll use what we know about free speech to see how a scenario might play out in a hypothetical situation. We'll follow that with a review of the "Hate Speech on College Campuses" article (here is the KEY)
Next, we'll look at these images and skim these articles ("A September of Racist Incidents" and "With Rise of Racially Charged Incidents on Campus..., "How Colleges are Mishandling Racial Tensions on Campus" for a brief look at racist incidents taking  place on college campuses over the last few years  Begin a new blog post with a response to these incidents? What, if anything should be done about them? Should the students who attended the parties be punished? What about students who use racist language?

Then, we'll work to see how free speech law, speech codes and anti-harassment policies might be applied in settings that you may experience as you head into your college years.  To do so, please follow these instructions:

1. Go to the FIRE website and read their mission statement and what they are about. 
2. Look at the "What are Speech Codes?" article so that you understand how FIRE is defining them.
3. Go to "Using FIRE's Spotlight" in order to understand how to use their database.
4. Go to the database and select a college or university that you have an interest in.
5. On your blog, continue your post by responding to the following:
• Describe your chosen university's speech codes (or lack of them).  How do your university’s policies or restrictions on free speech impact you as a prospective student? Does it influence or change the way you view the school? Do you believe that your university’s speech codes are legal or do they infringe on your rights to free speech?  Make connections to the description of the law that you read for class today.
6. Next, read these stories:
   LSU Fraternity Banners, Controversial Speaker Raise Questions About Speech on Campus, Racist Fliers Posted on San Jose St. Campus, University of Tennessee Rock Vandalized
7. Add to your blog post. Consider how the policies from your chosen university in #5 above may have guided a response to these incidents. Do these incidents support your initial opinion on your university's policies or cause you to rethink them? Explain.
8. Then, recall the images that we began our discussion with here and read these stories that provide some additional detail about them.
9. Then read these stories about controversy surrounding a "Tacos and Tequila" party at the University of Illinois.
• Now, in a continuation of your post that you began above, consider how the university you explored in #5 above might have reacted to these parties on their campuses?  Work to apply their speech codes to these incidents.  Would you agree or disagree with their reaction? 
10. Next, respond:   Do you agree with FIRE's definitions of what constitutes a speech code? Are the “restrictions” and codes they point out necessarily harmful or do they protect students? If you went to a university with a speech code how would you feel; safe or restricted? 
11. Finally, read this article: The Fight Over Free Speech.  Do a concluding thought in your blog post citing specific details from the article: What do you make of the current questions over free speech on college campuses? Should some speech be prohibited? If so, what and why? If not, how do you insure that students' rights to an education and personal safety are protected? How might a school's policy on free speech influence your decision on what university to attend?  
12. Spend any remaining time looking at other class members' blogs.  Try to comment on at least two.