Censorship on Campus Publications

Censorship on Campus Publications

Censorship on college campuses have always been a controversial topic. In the United States, the government can not prevent the publication of a newspaper, even when there is reason to believe that it is about to reveal information that will endanger our national security. Some college schools, however, have limitations on what should be published on their campuses. These restrictions have caused a lot of outrage from students who believe in free speech and freedom of the press. Some students feel that these restrictions prevent them from expressing themselves and what they believe what is important. City College of San Francisco does not have any student publishing restrictions other than a copyright policy. This should be changed for City College should have some restrictions to protect students from being harassed by the press. Although censorship on campus publications attacks the first amendment, creates bad publicity, and prevents students from expressing what they think is important; it helps prevent violence, restricts hate speech, protects ones reputation, and gives a safer feel to students on college campuses.

One of the main reasons why college campuses have restrictions on publications is because it gives a safer feel to students on college campuses. One example is when The Primary Source of Tufts University was charged for sexual harassment. The Primary Source, the conservative magazine at Tufts University, came into conflict with senior Iris Halpern when she filed a sexual harassment complaint against the paper for printing a cartoon of her in a tank top. Iris Halpern then teamed up with the Tufts Feminist Alliance (TFA) and rallied against The Primary Source at a hearing addressing the sexual harassment. At the meeting, Iris Halpern and the Tufts Feminist Alliance shouted “stop looking at my breasts” and “keep your First Amendment off my body.” After all of this, the Committee of Tuft University did not think that The Primary Source violated any sexual harassment codes. The primary source was wrong to print the cartoon of Halpern without her consent. If the cartoon made her feel uncomfortable, it should have been pulled from the paper and shouldn’t have been published at all because it should have been considered sexual harassment. The incident between The Primary Source and Iris Halpern helps show that if Tufts University had publishing policies and restrictions, Halpern wouldn’t have had to face the embarrassment of the cartoon The Primary Source had printed of her. This proves that censorship policies could help students on college campuses feel safer.

Another reason why there should be some censorship on college campuses is because it helps prevent violence. This is shown when a junior from Tufts University named Sam Dangremond was attacked by three other students for expressing his patriotic views. Sam Dangremond is the editor-in-chief of The Primary Source and on October 1, 2001 he painted a cannon with an American flag in the main quad with phrases saying “God bless America” and “liberty and justice for all” to honor those who were killed on September 11. For tradition at Tufts University, Sam Dangremond camped out by his painted cannon in the main quad, but at five a.m. the next morning he was attacked by three seniors in hooded sweatshirts and bandanas over their faces. Dangremond was held down while one of the attackers wrote “Violence has no peace” over the cannon. The three attackers were all part of the Coalition for Social Justice and Nonviolence and worked for the left wing campus newspaper the Radix. Dangremond should not have allowed to express his patriotic views in such an extreme way because it angered others and also caused them to react in a violent way to express their own views. If Tufts University had certain censorship policies, Dangremond wouldn’t have been allowed to paint his cannon and endanger himself from those with opposing views. Dangremond now concerned for his safety, states, “They can threaten me, they can assault me, and the administration is not going to stop it…it’s just a general lawlessness. Once the administration doesn’t enforce the rules all hell breaks loose.” This quote helps prove that some censorship rules are necessary to prevent violence from erupting.

Limits in college publications also help stop hate speech on campuses. This is shown when the September issue of The Cornell American of Cornell University in Ithaca claimed in one of their articles by Chris Menzel that “Blacks are more violent than whites.” The Cornell American is an independent nonprofit conservative journal. The article, "The Color of Cornell's Crime - Unmasking the Face of Ithacompton," also told students to "watch out for gangs of black thugs" and to "carry your Smith