College campuses should be a place where students are free to express their opinions, however discriminatory, insulting, or otherwise degrading such speech may be. Unfortunately, college policy makers on government-owned-and-operated campuses have prohibited speech that is discriminatory, insulting, or otherwise degrading. Such prohibition, however, is not a Constitutionally proper method of combatting hate. The Supreme Court has ruled that "the mere dissemination of ideas-no matter how offensive to good taste-on a state university campus may not be shut off in the name alone of ‘conventions of decency."
President Obama, you spoke to graduates of Howard University about freedom of speech. We call on you to do the same to policymakers of government institutions of higher education.