"Students should act with the respect for others" rights required of good citizens" (Goldberg, 332). This is what is said in the Fundamental Standard for behavior, and must be followed by students at Stanford University. But there is substantial pressure on college students across the nation. They are torn between the right to free expression and the right to nondiscrimination. By applying a hate speech code to the Fundamental Standard would violate our constitutional right to free expression, while at the same time a code of this sort protects us from verbal hatred and discrimination. Limiting derogatory speech reduces the risk of a hostile environment on a college campus. That is why I believe that a hate speech code would be a good idea at SMU.
So why should a hate speech code be enforced? The purpose of this code is to minimize and prevent the harassment of students by using hate speech on the basis of race, sex, color, handicap, religion, sexual preference, or ethnic origin. The policies formulated by Stanford University identify harassment as being "intended to insult or stigmatize on the basis of stereotypical group characteristics; it is addressed directly to those it intended to insult or stigmatize- (Goldberg, 333). Discrimination in the form of harassment is recognized as a violation of the Fundamental Standard. By preventing such harassment or insulting of students, we allow the student body to appreciate diversity rather than degrade it. This may also attract prospective minority students to the SMU campus, resulting in a more diverse student population.
Using a hate speech code in a university setting may violate our constitutional right however, it defiles our moral values as Americans. This nation was founded on such principles as freedom and justice for everyone, and that all men are created equal. If we live in a country where equality for all mankind and womankind exists, then why should using this hate speech code be an issue? Advocating and allow hate speech goes against the fact that all men are created equal.
