Alternatives? (John Speaking)
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It seems to me that Malik and Fred are both partially right. It is clear that some racist and sexist speech causes emotional distress. And I'm willing to assume that it interferes with the studies of some students. On the other hand, Fred is right that we don't really know that a speech code will reduce tension or conflict or that it will increase respect between blacks and whites.

My question is this. Granting what I just said, we still need to keep in mind that this is a university with a commitment to education rather than punishment. That means that restrictions on speech should be used only as a last resort to solve problems. We should ask whether there are other ways to resolve the problems.

I'm concerned that the speech code may be a knee jerk reaction to a very real problem. A better response requires us to spend more time thinking about other alternatives. The administration may be so worried about its funding that it hasn't taken the time to do that.

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