UVU provides a platform for the free exchange of ideas, and we are committed to intellectual growth, critical thinking, and the development of informed and engaged citizens. To help us in this pursuit, we encourage the campus community to explore the videos on this page created by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (F.I.R.E.). These videos will show you more regarding the First Amendment, your rights, and how to constructively talk through differences.
Utah Valley University aims to bring together people of different backgrounds, faiths, and opinions because we see diversity as a key component of the mission of education. Without racial, socio-economic, religious, and ideological diversity, our campus has the potential to turn into an echo chamber where only the same voices, ideas, and arguments are heard.
While student protests have occasionally crossed into unprotected conduct and speech, you as students should understand that, within the bounds of the First Amendment, you have a great deal of freedom to engage in protest and demonstrations. By doing so, you can raise awareness of problems and bring about change.
Many decades of litigation have firmly established that the vast majority of speech, however offensive, is protected by the First Amendment. But it is important for you to understand the limits to your rights not just here on campus as students, but also as citizens in our broader community. While the First Amendment protects most speech, it is not a free pass to threaten, harass, or otherwise violate the rights of others.
Because we are a public university, and thus bound by the First Amendment as government actors, we have an obligation to allow room for a wide range of ideas and we must apply our policies in a viewpoint-neutral way. The university stands for wide-open discourse on issues large and small. We hope that instead of backing away from difficult conversations or controversial ideas, you acquire the confidence and ability to engage with them. It is up to you to form your own opinions and challenge one another through civil discourse.
Students attending a public university enjoy the full and robust free speech rights protected under the First Amendment, including the right to speak online. This right is at its zenith when students are using their personal social media accounts, airing their views on their own blogs, posting memes, commenting on news articles, and engaging in similar expressive activity.
The value of research and education is significantly diminished if professors fear retribution for unpopular findings or if it is done with the interference of biased stakeholders. This is why maintaining academic freedom is a core value of our university. For teaching and learning to flourish, professors must be free from institutional censorship and intimidation, and must be allowed to run class as they see fit in order to facilitate learning and discussion.
Student journalists and publications play a vital role in informing their fellow students about campus events, serving as a check on their school’s administration, and uncovering stories that outside media might miss.
Offensive speech on campus can be a very challenging topic to talk about. But to begin with, you should know that the First Amendment strictly limits a public university’s regulation of speech. In the United States, a public university is an extension of the government. The First Amendment does not permit the government, including public universities, to police or regulate your speech and writings for the “wrong” opinion or belief. But guaranteeing your freedoms also means guaranteeing the freedoms of thought and expression of those with whom you most strongly disagree. As frustrating as it can be, remember that a principle that allows for the censorship of others ultimately allows those others to censor you too.
Please also see the video above on Limits to Free Speech to fully understand this important issue.
In this module, we will go over three central arguments that free speech advocates use to defend open discourse and debate. The first is that the pursuit of knowledge requires engaging with multiple perspectives and using them to correct and refine our own judgment. The second is that censoring a person can have the unintended effect of giving them added attention. The third is that legitimacy of government rests on the consent of the governed, and consent can be legitimate only if viewpoints are heard and not suppressed.
These frequently asked questions and answers provide the basic information incoming students need to know about how the First Amendment applies to speech on campus.
