Student Free Speech: Does It Extend to What Learners Say Online Off-Campus?

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Abstract

Professors fiercely champion free speech. Many believe that unfiltered, even offensive, expression (Jaschik, 2018) is fundamental to post-secondary academic life.

But what about their students? Should student social media posts be punishable, even if they are made off-campus?

This issue also relates to rapidly shifting demographics at international post-secondary institutions. Namely, the difficulty in adjudicating diverse speech by even more diverse students.

Racialized students account for 45.2% of undergraduates in the U.S. (AACU, 2019) and 40% of undergraduates and graduates at Canadian universities (Universities Canada, 2018). Weighing unrestricted expression via dynamic technologies against fostering a tolerant public sphere will test the fundamental freedoms we cherish in our democratic society, including K–20 environments.

Author

• Dino Sossi, NYU, CUNY, Teachers College, Columbia University