Justin Park’s case may be the harbinger of things to come. In response to the uproar about his Halloween invite, Johns Hopkins, one of the world’s elite universities, acted quickly to enact a shiny new speech code, far more restrictive than the policy already in place. Titled “Principles for Ensuring Equity, Civility and Respect for All,” the new code states sanctimoniously that “[r]ude, disrespectful behavior is unwelcome and will not be tolerated.” While Johns Hopkins, as a private university, is not explicitly bound by the First Amendment, this code is impossible to reconcile with the school’s stated commitments to free speech. Are we really to believe that “[f]undamental to the University’s purpose is the free and open exchange of ideas,” if students may be suspended any time the administration deems a joke or opinion rude? Doesn’t the university understand that there is always something arguably “disrespectful” in any dissenting voice? Hopkins, which clearly wants to establish itself as a progressive and enlightened institution, has decided to pass a code that is as myopic and imperious as any morality regulation of the Victorian era.
In the ongoing search for identity and individual truth, students will engage in conversations others may view as inappropriate, just as they always have. As pleasant as politeness may be, it is of minuscule importance compared with the necessity of robust discussion on our college campuses. As ever, occasional offense is a small price to pay for continuing to honor the wisdom of the Bill of Rights as we navigate through this unparalleled communications revolution.
Greg Lukianoff is an attorney and the president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). Will Creeley is an attorney and a senior program officer at FIRE. They can be reached atfire@thefire.org.
Related:
Well shut my mouth!, Alumnus interruptus, Spelling lessons, More 
- Well shut my mouth!
Are today’s college students thinner-skinned than were previous generations?
- Alumnus interruptus
Rather than take pride in the bi-monthly’s stellar 108-year-old reputation, university administrators effectively declared war on Harvard magazine earlier this year when they brought out an in-house competitor.
- Spelling lessons
A fair number of college students are turning to Wicca for spiritual identity.
- Prevention suspension
Combating sexual assault is especially tough if your workspace is the size of a professional basketball player's shoebox.
- Muzzle Awards: Collegiate Division
In a 1957 Supreme Court decision upholding the free-speech rights of university professors ( Sweezy v. New Hampshire ), Justice Felix Frankfurter quoted prominent South African scholars on the importance of academic freedom.
- Why the Imus cave-in is bad for free speech, radio, and the whole society
I was never a fan of Don Imus.
- School for scandal
Lending institutions have been buying the favor of sticky-fingered college administrators for some time now.
- Come out, come out, wherever you are
What if I’d been a guy in a Ren Faire dress?
- No money, mo problems
There are more than 4000 degree-granting higher-education institutions in the United States.
- Higher calling
There’s one word that Philip Altbach really wants you to understand: massification .
- Books tour
While most area colleges continue to offer predictably boring campus tours that amount to wandering through academic ghost towns imagining departed crowds, there are also some alternatives to the standard walk-and-talk routine.
- Less
Topics:
News Features
, Entertainment, Internet, House and Home, More
, Entertainment, Internet, House and Home, College Life, University of Connecticut, Civil Trials, U.S. Supreme Court, University of Missouri System, Clemson University, Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, Less
