Panel discusses freedom of speech

A panel discussion on freedom of speech and First Amendment rights in higher education Wednesday provided an overview of different issues concerning free speech and an open forum for students to ask questions concerning solutions to problems arising out of free speech.

Led by Oklahoma State University Vice President Lee Bird and University of Wisconsin at Whitewater Assistant Dean of Students Mary Beth Mackin, the panel discussed what violations of free speech entail and gave an explanation of how it is a prevalent issue on college campuses.

“The First Amendment hasn’t been cast on a rock,” said Bird. “We are constantly being surprised by new issues. We have to learn how to have a dialogue to talk about it.”

Bird and Mackin stressed the idea that continual education and encouragement of communication are key solutions to dealing with speech rights issues.

“If everyone else thought correctly, this wouldn’t be a problem,” Bird said sarcastically. “We want to honor the First Amendment. When someone’s speaking and I don’t like what they have to say, then I don’t want to honor it. This is the crux of the debate.”

The problem is that when other people don’t fit your lens of the world, it can lead to conflict, according to Bird.

The discussion also provided listeners with detailed examples of several types of speech rights violations. Freedom of religious speech and threats were two issues that received heavy focus, highlighted with several examples such as campus preachers and questions over funding religiously affiliated student groups.

“Controversy is because we’re trying to do the right thing, but we don’t know what the right thing is,” said Mackin on religious freedoms. Several court cases relating to the topic were given as examples at the panel.

The ability to interpret threats was also a part of the discussion. In the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, this is going to become a large issue, Mackin said. However, the issue was left largely undecided.

“We don’t know what the answers are and we’re going to see more of it,” Mackin said.

The panel also briefly discussed speech rights issues regarding the freedom of the student press and electronic communication, with issues such as the publication of questionable political cartoons and content of private e-mails raised.

The panel also covered seemingly offensive fraternity and sorority theme parties, which cited the negative racial stereotypes at a Sigma Chi “halloween in the hood” fraternity theme party thrown at Johns Hopkins. The party featured a lynched skeleton hanging from the roof of the fraternity house.

The forum segment of the discussion featured an authoritative panel of PSU faculty and staff speakers considered experts in their fields, who were only allotted a small time to speak to the issues outlined in discussion. The forum highlighted derogatory remarks to ‘sinners’ from campus preachers.

“It’s not harassment–it’s speech,” said PSU interim general counsel and panelist Chip Lazenby. “I don’t have a constitutional right to restrict this speech,” he said of administrative obligation to make sure students aren’t being harassed.

The big picture is seeing who is mature, according to Lazenby.

“That’s the marketplace of ideas,” he said.

Most of the forum debated this issue from various standpoints. Mike Soto, head of campus security at PSU, said it has to be evaluated for criminal activity.

“His remarks would have to be targeted toward an individual,” said Soto. The general consensus was that even though some people might find preachers’ remarks offensive, students should react in a tolerant and understanding way.

The issue of disruptive students in classrooms yielded similar results in the forum, as panelists agreed that no matter what a student’s actions, they were allowed their freedoms of speech. They said students should be allowed this so long as the class material could still be taught, even in cases of dissenting opinions.

Bringing dissenting opinions to the table is precisely what makes speech rights work, according to Mackin.

“The opportunity to challenge and change culture does exist when there is sunlight on the issues,” she said.

Tonantzin Oceguera, director of student activities and leadership programs, Jil Freeman, a faculty member in the PSU communications department, and Jud Randall, the student publications advisor, were also panelists. [Editor’s note: Randall advises all Student Publications, including the Vanguard.]