Free Speech Commentary Rough Draft

As one walks across the campus, they become bombarded with several offers. Whether it be from a billboard, a post box, or even from students on the sidewalk they are inescapable. "Bright Futures Students Save 285 dollars". "Universal's Halloween Horror Nights Exclusive UCF Student Ticket". "Legalize Medical Marijuana". All of these offers, although rather blunt at times, are an extension of the first amendment. The first Amendment states that Congress will not create a law "Abridging the freedom of speech" at anytime of the use of the Constitution. The University of Central Florida has become a firm believer in unhindered freedom of speech. This belief has allowed the campus to produce a breeding ground for new and old ideas that could eventually revolutionize the world.
Before one continues it is important to realize that freedom of speech is not the same across the country. Since the United States first emerged from the ashes of the colonies, its people have been given certain unalienable rights. These rights, summed up in the Constitution, have been the foundation of the country to date. However, rather than allowing for clear cut rules within the document, the founding fathers allowed the document to be "interpreted". This gave the document the ability to change with the times as well as allow for different views to be expressed by the people. The first amendment within the Bill of Rights is no exception. Due to the ability of lawmakers and enforcers to interpret the rights given to the people through time, a grey area has formed across the U.S. in which certain locations, such as the University of Central Florida campus are able to use freedom of speech more freely than other more conservative areas.
One important change from an off campus to an on campus setting is the protection given to the professors and teachers that work here. According to the Webster Dictionary, Tenure is a status granted to teachers after a trial period that gives protection from summary dismissal. This allows a teacher to explore avenues that would be otherwise taboo in the pursuit of new or relevant knowledge. Should the teacher or professor walk the thin line of offensive, tenure provides protection from dismissal of their position. However, according to Professor Moody at the University of Central Florida, teachers must go through a rather long trial period before achieving the goal of tenure. This can be seen as a check against an individual taking advantage of tenure when they have not proven themselves to be stable or sane.
The University of Central Florida is also adorned with a special Free Speech Lawn in which everyone is free to share beliefs and ideas however they want. Many people, such as the Christians of "Can We Pray For You?", use the lawn to express religious beliefs to the students of UCF. The group uses prayer to help students who may be going through a hard time and try to provide guidance to those who may need it. However, according to a student at UCF named Drew Stultz, the free speech lawn is not always used for positive messages. According to Drew's account, there are certain days where a man will ascend a box and begin sermons to where he preaches the destiny of every student to go to hell. Thus, Drew has shown an interest in avoiding this man whenever he can. Although this one man may be causing a damper in the positive role of the free speech lawn, it is minimal compared to what the lawn has given back to the community and individual students who walk through it every day.
Clubs and Organizations on campus also benefit from the loose rules of Freedom of Speech. Instead of having to go through miles of red tape to achieve minimal attention in the community, These groups on campus are able to voice their goals and beliefs as long as they abide by the rules established by the University in their "Golden Rules". This allows students wishing to get involved in their community to find organizations that they agree with and make membership possible. Thus, initiatives can progress further and allows for the school to take on a stronger student body as a whole. The role of clubs is one that is seen as necessary by many students such as Henry Cabrera, a Sophomore at UCF, who believes that the clubs "make UCF what it is today". Without free Speech, it would be impossible for UCF to grow at the speed it has.
The University of Central Florida, although more open to expression than other areas such as a High School setting, is not a complete open canvas for anyone to begin speaking anything they think. As Dylan Crimmins, a Sophomore at UCF, stated "Free Speech on campus should be completely free as long as it does not hurt or injure others on campus". The University of Central Florida could not agree more. According to the UCF free expression brochure, expression is permitted as long as it does not interfere with the normal procedures of the University. This includes "classroom activities, preplanned campus events, blocking vehicular or pedestrian traffic, or creating an unsafe environment for the students, staff or faculty. The university also takes on the task of controlling the location and sound should either become too out of hand. Also, in order to register for any booth or information centers on campus, the individuals involved must follow a procedure outlined by the University of Florida Free Expression Brochure. Thus, The campus faculty can keep freedom of speech under control while allowing the students to safely voice their views and beliefs.
Freedom of Speech has become the pivotal foundation of UCF campus life. All incoming freshman, including myself, are opened to a completely new playground to figure out what they believe and who they really are as individuals. This new landscape would not be possible if it weren't for the expression of all forms of speech on campus. Without freedom of speech, The University of Central Florida would not of become the outstanding campus it is known as today.







Works Cited
Stultz, Drew. "Personal Interview on 10/12/2009."
Cabrera, Henry. "Personal Interview on 10/16/2009."
Crimmings, Dylan. "Personal Interview on 10/16/2009."
Moody, Jane. "Personal Interview on 10/15/2009."
http://osi.sdes.ucf.edu/useyourvoice/FreeExpressionBrochure.pdf (10/12/2009)
http://www.goldenrule.sdes.ucf.edu/docs/Student%20Union.pdf (10/12/2009)
http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.billofrights.html(10/17/2009)
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tenure (10/17/2009)
http://collegeclicktv.com/videos?fr_story=06ede14bb48f7b27f976cc35b57d64b2785cdf84&fr_chl=dd90f2b5a4651987559ce046deee4e8037f1341d&search= (10/19/2009)