Iowa Restricted Speach

Even though The University of Iowa is marked with the scary, red light, of speech restriction, I believe that the restrictions are for the overall welfare of the student body. The Iowa codes says, "Personal conduct perceived as threatening or harassing is considered a violation of the Code of Student Life under a reasonable person standard even if the student did not intend to discomfort the party who felt threatened or harassed," This is of course for the best. It is simple code, and it should be the regulation for every public University. The University defines sexual harassment as: "Talks about their sexual experiences. Asks you to talk about yours. Tells sexual jokes, innuendoes, and stories, or comments (about your clothes or body, or someone else’s)." This grinds my gears a bit. I believe that anybody should actually be able to talk about there sexual experiences, it is more so an act of when, where, and the consent of the listener. I believe that these various speech codes are necessary overall, and actually contribute to the University. Iowa would not allow for the events that I witnessed in the video. They "Breech the Learning Environment," and "Represent the School In a Detrimental Way." Two clear obstructions within the Iowa guidelines. 

FIRE is basically an organization that fights to defend the free speech of students at America's colleges and universities. Their mission statement is very well thought out, it sums up the organization quite nicely. "The mission of FIRE is to defend and sustain individual rights at America's colleges and universities. These rights include freedom of speech, legal equality, due process, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience — the essential qualities of individual liberty and dignity. FIRE's core mission is to protect the unprotected and to educate the public and communities of concerned Americans about the threats to these rights on our campuses and about the means to preserve them." They bring justice, protecting those who do not know how to protect themselves. They are promoting the core values of liberty, which is indeed admirable in this day and age. I agree wholeheartedly with there outlook on speech, and the values we must carry.

Speech is a blessing, it is something that we often take for granted. Many people around the world do not have the luck we do. But, we must not abuse it. We must remember that each person has a different set of core values, and ours often conflict with theirs. So yes, speak your mind. But also, remember the circumstances: time, place, and the emotion of the people.