University Speech Codes

After reading the article “Jim Crow on Fraternity Row” I was extremely surprised.  I know that a lot of jokes, pranks and hazing go on in the Fraternity lifestyle.  These boys were not just “being boys”, they were being disrespectful and ignorant. Their actions were not in protest of anything. Their actions were not the result of anything that has happened to them. There was no reason for them to behave that way.  All they accomplished was being jerks and offending people.  After reading the article I looked at the slide of pictures. It was obvious to me that the boys were simply trying to be funny. They had no cruel intentions, they were just being dumb.  I believe their actions did violate the first amendment.  The cases we have read and discussed in class that deal with first amendment rights typically have to do with a protest. For example, when the Tinker children wore armbands to school they were protesting the Vietnam War. They are allowed to express how they feel about that issue. Revoking their right to peaceful protest was a violation of their rights.  These fraternity members were not protesting anything. The University has the rights to ban these actions and punish those who participated because there was no logical explanation for them, they were obscene and offensive, and they were very threatening and could create a violent and hostile atmosphere. The actions of these boys are not protected under the first amendment.
    I selected University of Iowa. I have already applied to this school, so I am very interested in what speech codes they may have. Their speech code put a lot of emphasis on sexual harassment. They didn’t use vague terms like the ones we read about for homework. I like that they are very descriptive so that it is not a question whether some behavior falls under the speech code or not. They specifically listed what actions would not be tolerated.
(a) persistent unwelcomed efforts to develop a romantic or sexual relationship
(b) unwelcome commentary about an individual's body or sexual activities
(c) unwanted sexual attention
(d) repeated and unwelcome sexually-oriented teasing, joking, or flirting
(e) verbal abuse of a sexual nature.
Being a female I have had my share of run ins with these types of situations. They can be harmless or very hurtful. Knowing that these rules are established at a school I am interested in makes me feel safe. I know that I am protected and don’t have to be worry about any of these unpleasant things occurring. And if they do I know that there will be consequences for the other person. I think that these limits of freedom of speech are necessary to create a safe living environment. No one wants to go to school where they are afraid of being sexually harassed. This speech code makes me more confident in my decision to apply to the University of Iowa because I feel safe.
    I believe that the University of Iowa would not have tolerated the actions of the Fraternity brothers. They list out everything and the actions of the boys violated more than one of their rules. I agree with the Universities’ decision to punish the boys. They were creating a threatening environment and definitely disturbed the peace.
    I think that FIRE is a great sight. It allows students to research the schools they are interested in at a deeper level. Someone like me wants to know that they are safe and there are clear restrictions keeping me safe. Other people want more freedom and are opposed to speech codes. This sight allows people to see where  they fit best to avoid an unpleasant experience.  I think everybody has the right to know what he or she are getting themselves into. If you know yourself to be an active protester this sight could help you find a school that will allow that type of behavior.  And same goes for people on the other side of the spectrum. I appreciate this sight because it has given me peace of mind on the school I applied to.
    Overall I am totally for speech codes. I do not think that they are a violation of the first amendment because they reprimand actions that disturb the peace, create hostility, violence and threaten personal safety. I will be in college soon and speech codes make me feel safe. I still have my freedom to voice my opinions and feelings.  I simply have to do so in a manner that does not violate the codes. I think the codes are very direct and reasonable. Following them will be extremely simple and overall enrich my college experience.

Freedom of speech in sports

    In school I would never swear, interrupt the teacher, scream out my opinions, or talk about other students in front of them. Under the first amendment I have the right to do those things. But I do not feel it is appropriate at school. I hold my tongue and make sure that I am polite. For some reason I do feel like doing all of those things are okay in sports. I play soccer and have my whole life. I never hold my tongue there even when I should.  I had a game today and it got me thinking about why I feel this way. I am still in front of adults, I still could offend other people, I still am representing something. Why do I act differently in sports? I am known on my team for arguing with the referee, making smart remarks at girls on other teams, and swearing when I am upset. I am not proud of this but I know it is true. I am also not unique. Most girls on my team and others speak this way during games. This topic is also very prevalent in my mind because I got a red card last weekend for something I said. When you get a red card you cannot continue on in the game, you cannot play in the next game, and you have to pay a one hundred dollar fine. At the time I was outraged. I didn’t understand how I could be punished so harshly for my words. Why wasn’t I allowed to say how I felt about the referee’s call? What was the rule that I broke? What was the point of that rule? Where else can I now be penalized for my opinions when I am supposed to be able to use them freely? I wasn’t starting violence or creating danger for anyone. I was sharing my emotions on a call that I believed to be unfair. I do represent my club, coach and teammates when I am playing soccer. But ultimately I represent myself. If college scouts were watching our game they would not scrutinize my team for my actions, only I would be penalized. That is why I think we should be allowed to say whatever we want in sports. We are representing ourselves. We are allowed to showcase ourselves in whatever manner we want. If it ends up biting us in the butt we know it is our own fault. If I didn’t get a scholarship because of what I said, that is punishment enough. I shouldn’t be kicked out of a game for my thoughts. I completely understand restrictions in freedom of speech. That is why I follow all of my schools rules.  But sports can be unfair, physically and mentally aggravating, we have the freedom to express how we feel. That freedom should not be tampered with.  I will continue to speak my mind for everyone out there who has suffered from a bad referee

Tenth Anniversary of 9/11

Today is the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.  My experience so far has been a day of silence. Everything seems somber. I can not believe that 10 years have gone by. This morning I woke up early to get to my soccer game in oak brook. Sitting in the car, half asleep, attempting to get my gear on, it did not cross my mind that today was September 11. Our games normally start with a whistle and we enter the field. Today we lined up, walked out and had a moment of silence.  And right then and there is where it hit me. I was so mad at myself for forgetting. I was instantly overwhelmed with emotions and thoughts. I started to thing about September 11, 2001.  I started to think about the film we watched in class. And finally I began to think about the holocaust.  I have been learning about the holocaust my whole life. A topic of great importance is remembrance. We have to remember and continue to teach to prevent it from happening again. We have to make sure people know and understand what it was so that history my never repeat itself. I reflected on how profound of a thought the holocaust is for me. It makes me sick. I am a proud advocate of remembrance. And that is why I was so angry. September 11,2001, is another awful piece of history. If I can’t forget the holocaust I cant forget 9/11/01. We have to remember what happened that day. We have to discuss it even though it is painful. We have to grow from it. I was mad at myself for forgetting because remembering is such a contributing factor to healing. I remember my experience. I was in Mrs.Merins class, second grade. It was a normal day for a while. Then the teachers all temporarily left the rooms. When mine came back she seemed upset. She let us know that some kids would be taken out of school by their parents and that we would all find out what is going on later. I was not too worried. I got home and only my mom was there. This was typical; my dad normally came home around 7.  My mom told me that there was an accident at the world trade center. Unfortunately I can’t remember much of what she said because I was so young.  All I remember was that I was terrified that something happened to my Dad. At this point in time all I knew about my Dad’s job was that he was a trader.  I didn’t know what that meant or where he worked. But when my Mom said world trade center I assumed that had to be where he worked. I didn’t know about the planes or anything. I was only worried about my Dad.  I am 17 now and I know the story and have seen the footage. I also know that my dad worked Chicago, and the world trade center was in New York. September 11, 2001 has changed my life as well as every other Americans.  I learned the importance of saying I love you. You never know what could happen and when the last time you see someone will be. I thought I lost my dad that day. From that day on I make sure to tell people I love them and always try to be on good terms.  That is one of the better results of 9/11/01. There are negative ones as well. I reasonably have a fear of flying. I have a fear of going to important places in our country because I see them as a target. And unfortunately I get scared when I see Arab people in airports. I know that that is racial profiling and I wish I didn’t feel that way, but it is a consequence of 9/11/01.  I will always remember that day as a day of hate, fear, and death. I will also remember it as a day of love, heroes, and community. But the most important thing is that I remember it.
Watching the documentary of September 11, 2001 in class had a large impact on me. I experienced 9/11/01 as a kid. I have talked about it numerous times.  I have read books on it. I have even had a unit in class on it, junior year in American studies.  None of these have impacted me as much as this film.  The film had such a charm to it. It made everyone seem so wholesome and innocent. You really fell in love with tony. All you want for him is to be the hero he want to be. Its so fun and laid back at the beginning. It is captivating to watch the community within the firehouse. While I am sitting enjoying the film there is a looming sense of uneasiness.  As the dates get closer and closer you only wish you could warn them all. We are sitting waiting to watch the most horrific event of terrorism the United States has ever seen. The anticipation was large. Once it finally happened I felt just a shocked as every time I have seen it before. It doesn’t seem real, watching a plane enter a building.  Your mind is to full with thoughts that you don’t know what to focus on. I thought how many floors did the plane directly hit? Did the people in the building see it coming? Was there anything we could have done to prevent this?  How fast could the first responders get there? What could they do once they were there? I was thinking all of these questions when watching the film. I had seen the planes fly into the buildings before. But I had never seen anything from inside the buildings. The lobby looked like a ghost town. Shattered glass was everywhere. There was no one to be found and everything was covered in dust and debris. It was a very disturbing sight. This was floor one. The explosion was in floor 80. What on earth did it look like there?  And what does it look like above and below? When I am watching all of the firemen enter I am astonished by their bravery. I tried to picture myself in their situation and it was impossible. I wonder what I would have done. It is aggravating to watch because you want to help.  I wanted to direct people and make sure everyone was helping in some way.  You also want to scream out THERE IS ANOTHER PLANE COMING! The shock and pain on their faces when the second plane hit was upsetting to see.  Observing the people in action in the building while it was occurring was something I never thought I would see. It is inspiring how people took charge and kept calm. It warms my heart to see how strangers are willing to risk their lives for others in need. I makes me want to be a better person. I had so many mixed emotions. I was feeling bad for all of the people that were trapped. I was feeling inspired by the firemen, and I was feeling troubled by the loud thumping sound. I knew that people jumped from the buildings. I had seen a picture of it in the book Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. But hearing was a whole new experience. It was so hauntingly loud. It was a painful reminder of what was above. It only scared me more to think about what was up there. Because whatever it was people were choosing plummeting to their deaths instead of facing it. That awful boom made my whole body cringe. I couldn’t even picture seeing it. Unfortunately I missed the second day of watching the film so I ended off there. The last thing I saw was people orchestrating going into the second building, people getting off of the elevator and that unforgettable sound of bodies hitting the pavement. I wish I had finished the documentary. But only watching half had a tremendous affect.  I got a whole new appreciation for those firemen and all firemen in our country.  I got a new perspective on just how bad everything was. And I got a life long lesson on the power of hate. I also feel proud to be an American.  That was a worst-case scenario, and we had people lined up to try and help. We came to together as a country and remained strong. I am very glad that I had the opportunity to see this documentary because it enhanced my experience of 9/11/01.  The closer I feel to this event the stronger the memories I will have. I will never forget September 11, 2001.
I read a few articles but one stood out more than the others, 9/11 Ten Years Later: Educator and Parent Guide. I was originally drawn to this article because it referenced educators. In almost every one of my classes we have discussed 9/11. So I was curious to see what this article had to say. I was wondering if it would be similar to what my teachers say or if it would be different. It also references parents. I thought about my parents. What they said to me then and what they have to say now. I wanted to know what the article suggested they say. The article had an opening paragraph that introduced the purpose of this article. The purpose was to discuss and explain 9/11. Its main objective was to educate those who were too young to remember or not born yet. This peaked my interest because I fall into the category of being too young to remember. I can recall small parts and traumatic parts but not full details of my experience. The rest of the article is questions and discussion topics. For example, “ Who claimed responsibility for the 9/11 attacks? What was the motive behind the attacks? What was the U.S. government’s response to the attacks? “ These topics are heavy but affective in learning.  I realized I didn’t know the answers to some of these questions, so I looked them up. That was how I knew this article was affective. After reading I wanted more knowledge. It is good to be informed because you can have deeper discussions about your topic.  I thought this article was great. It was thought provoking and well written. I think that I will bring this article to my dinner table to discuss 9/11 tonight. It will help us bond and cope as a family. I think it is very important for us to discuss it, especially on the ten-year anniversary.  It is great that someone took that initial step and wrote out all of the questions we as a country have in order to help people who don’t know how to start the discussion. Start talking people! And use this article as a guide!

Teenage limits on freedom of speech

Everyone has their own opinions on teenage freedom of speech. Some kids in my class believe it is too restricted and others believe it isn’t restricted enough. There are also those like myself who aren’t sure what they think. I think that the people with the strongest opinions on the subject have had the most experience with it. If someone is constantly reprimanded in school for what they said, wore or any other demonstrations of symbolic speech, they will hold a lot of hostility towards the current rules against freedom of speech in their school. I personally have been told I am not allowed to wear something at school that I didn’t find offensive at all. One day in the season of varsity girls soccer is dedicated to the seniors. All of the underclassmen on the team wear embarrassing pictures of the seniors on their shirts. My senior was Audrey Rabuska. I selected an extremely awkward and hilarious picture of Audrey from the eighth grade. She was wearing a hideous one-piece swim suit, and cheesy smile. Audrey knew the picture I selected and was embarrassed but gave me permission to wear it to school. The second a teacher saw me with it at school she made me take it off. It was in no way inappropriate or offensive and I had permission from the person to wear it to school. That was one of the only instances my freedom of speech had been tampered with, but I didn’t really think that it was a big deal.  The other side of the argument is the people who believe that speech and symbolic speech is not restricted enough in schools. I would assume that these people are people who have fallen victim freedom of speech, people who have been teased or embarrassed by other people exercising their freedom of speech. If you have felt humiliated by another person using their freedom of speech it is understandable why you would want the rules to be changed. I personally haven’t been dramatically affected by either side of the debate. I obviously think that freedom of speech is important. I value my opinion and being able to share it. But I also believe in common sense. I am not going to run down the halls in school screaming at the top of my lungs because there is no reason to. I am not going to say whatever is on my mind because that wouldn’t be appropriate. I think people use freedom of speech as a cop out when they did something they know is wrong. It’s an easy way to get away with something. When teenagers in school clutch to the first amendment as their argument they are not concerned at all with their rights, they are just concerned with getting out of trouble. I think everyone should just deal with the rules at their school that deal with freedom of speech because we are done in four years. Just learn to hold your tongue until we are out.