A nationwide free speech group is concentrating on UMass Lowell for its coverage that bans college students from sending or viewing “offensive” materials on-line, calling on the college to revise its web guidelines.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression is giving UMass Lowell its “red light” ranking, saying the college’s on-line coverage restricts free speech.
FIRE every month calls out a college coverage for its “Speech Code of the Month,” and this month UMass Lowell is highlighted for the varsity’s Acceptable Use Policy — which bans college students from deliberately transmitting, speaking or accessing “offensive” materials.
“Since much of what you see online could be called offensive by someone, the policy bans protected speech,” stated Laura Beltz, FIRE’s director of coverage reform.
“The Supreme Court has held, time and time again, that the government can’t restrict speech just because someone finds it offensive,” she stated.
A college’s Acceptable Use Policy governs using computing and networking assets on the college.
Under the “prohibitive actions” part of UMass Lowell’s Acceptable Use Policy, FIRE is citing the rule that states, “Use information technology resources or services for intentionally transmitting, communicating or accessing pornographic or sexually explicit material, images, text or other offensive material except when clearly required to do so in the course of their work.”
FIRE famous that within the Supreme Court case Texas v. Johnson, the Supreme Court held that burning the American flag was protected speech.
“The government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable,” the Supreme Court dominated.
“So whether you’re burning an American flag at a protest or just advocating for or against flag burning on Twitter, expression can’t be limited just because someone was offended by it,” Beltz stated.
Colleges and universities routinely ban offensive speech in campus speech codes, particularly in data expertise insurance policies, in accordance with FIRE.
“UMass Lowell couldn’t possibly take action every time someone views or retweets something subjectively offensive over university Wi-Fi — every single student, and probably every professor, would be on trial,” FIRE stated. “But a policy like this makes it all too easy for the university to crack down on select, disfavored speech.”
“FIRE stands ready to assist UMass Lowell — as well as any other colleges and universities with restrictive speech codes — in revising its policies,” the free speech group later added.
By receiving FIRE’s worst, “red light” ranking, UMass Lowell is now within the backside 18.5% of colleges rated in FIRE’s Spotlight database. This is UMass Lowell’s solely crimson mild coverage.
A UMass Lowell spokesperson stated in a press release on Monday, “Computing and networking resources are intended to support the academic, research and business needs of the University community. UMass Lowell continually reviews all university policies to adhere to national best practices consistent with local, state and federal law.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”