UNI Students React to New-Found Focus on First Amendment

If you are an American citizen, you are almost certainly aware of the First Amendment and what it entails. As written by James Madison in 1789, then a United States Representative from Virginia and eventually the 4th President of the United States, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The main thing people should take away from this very important sentence written well over 200 years ago is that the government cannot limit what opinions you express, what religion you practice, or how you peacefully protest.

The part of this amendment regarding freedom of speech, arguably the most well-known part of the First Amendment, has become a focal point in classrooms across the University of Northern Iowa. Because of a February 2021 ruling by the Iowa Board of Regents reaffirming their strong commitment to the First Amendment and the rights therein, a statement regarding UNI’s commitment to protecting freedom of speech across campus is included at the top of all syllabuses and is supposed to be touched on by all teachers when they go over their syllabus on the first day of class.

This ruling by the Iowa Board of Regents came mostly in response to a pair of free speech violations that ended up being covered by national news sources. One occurred at Iowa State University in Ames when a professor barred students from writing about particular positions, such as being anti-gay marriage, anti-abortion, or anti-Black Lives Matter. The other one occurred here at UNI and was a pretty big story in the Fall of 2020. A student organization called Students for Life, who in their organization description refer to themselves as “A pro-life group dedicated to abolishing abortion and cultivating a culture of life,” applied to be recognized as an official student organization by UNI. In this process, the Senate of the Northern Iowa Student Government has to approve this organization. Despite the precedent of pre-existing political and activist groups from all political backgrounds, Students for Life was denied. They appealed to the Supreme Court, also part of the student government, and were again denied. Finally, UNI’s President Mark Nook overruled the decision of the Supreme Court and declared Students for Life an official student organization. The story made quite the run on national news, specifically on conservative news organizations, even being picked up by Fox News. This entire scenario brought UNI’s commitment to free speech into question by people around the country.

There has been a wide range of reactions to the new focus on free speech at UNI. Some students feel that it is a very good thing and the way it should be. “The state and university are putting more of a focus on freedom of speech and expression, as well as the open exchange of ideas on college campuses,” said Colin Horning, a senior majoring in Public Relations. Some students, however, see this in a different light, and are worried that it will allow people already inclined to use hateful rhetoric to feel more empowered to do so. Sophomore Music Education student Christina Engelmann said “From a minority perspective, I am concerned that the new policy that is interpreting the First Amendment will encourage people who already use negative slurs to use them more and to use them with the expectation that they will not be reprimanded.” Interestingly, some students have hardly noticed the change, calling into question how much some professors are focusing on it. “I haven’t heard of a new focus on the First Amendment, so I guess it doesn’t really mean anything to me,” said Garrett Pospisil, a senior majoring in Psychology.

The reason that freedom of speech is so critically important is that it stops, or at least limits, instances of particular views being discriminated against on campus. In regards to discrimination because of holding a particular set of beliefs, Horning said “I haven’t experienced any overt discrimination, but I know that the Students for Life saga that took place last year is a commonly cited example of this.” Clearly, despite some time having since passed, this incident is still fresh in the minds of many people around campus. However, some have also seen a different type of discrimination around campus, one of the biggest concerns some people have about a strong focus on freedom of speech. “I can specifically remember two occasions last year when anti-LGBTQ+ messaging was being shown by a visiting group as students walked by the Maucker Union,” said Macey Overturf, a sophomore majoring in Spanish Teaching.

This discussion about freedom of speech also brings into question just how accepting of opposing views people are. It can often be difficult to try and understand another person’s opinion if you strongly disagree with it. However, this is also a critically important aspect of freedom of speech. “I may not be able to fully put myself in other shoes, but I can definitely understand why others have different beliefs than my own,” said Joshua Farris, a senior majoring in Digital Media Leadership. “At the end of the day, I believe it is very important that individuals learn that it is okay to agree to disagree. Not everything has to be right and wrong.” Many people feel that being tolerant towards differing opinions, while important, can only be extended so far. “I am very tolerant towards opinions I disagree with. I often find myself trying to find both sides of an issue before fully forming an opinion,” said Overturf. “However, I am not tolerant of any group, institution, or organization that has hateful views or beliefs that actively harm a specific group of people.”

While students may have some vastly different views on what the First Amendment and freedom of speech mean to them and how important it is on campus and in general, it is definitely here to stay and will continue to be pushed on campus at the University of Northern Iowa. While it certainly can lead to uncomfortable conversations and, unfortunately, some hateful rhetoric, it is undeniable that freedom of speech is one of the key differences between free countries like the United States and totalitarian countries like North K

orea. Having the freedom to openly express and exchange differing views and opinions is critically important to having a free country.