An Analysis of Restrictions on Freedom of Speech at Harvard University

This essay delves into the contentious issue of freedom of speech restrictions at Harvard University, particularly in the context of student admissions and social media activity. It begins by defining freedom of speech and its importance in democratic societies, then examines recent incidents where student admissions were revoked due to posts containing offensive content. The essay argues against the university's right to penalize students based solely on social media posts, emphasizing that these platforms are used for various purposes and that disciplinary actions should be based on actions within the school environment. It acknowledges the negative impacts of social media, such as cyberbullying and hate speech, but maintains that these issues should not be grounds for denying admission or expulsion. The essay concludes by reiterating the importance of protecting freedom of expression while also addressing the potential consequences of irresponsible online behavior.

Running head: RESTRICTIONS ON FREEDOM OF SPEECH AT HARVARD
Restrictions on Freedom of Speech at Harvard
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

RESTRICTIONS ON FREEDOM OF SPEECH AT HARVARD 1
Freedom of speech is defined as a medium of expressing one’s thoughts clearly. This
right is guaranteed by almost all the democratic government regimes all over the world. This
right supports the expression of individualistic ideas and free expression of one’s own
opinions. This right guarantees that there would be no retaliation from the government
against the individual for expressing his own views (Ardia, 2013).
Recent incidents reported in media about revoking the admission of ten students based
on the posts made by them on social media that comprised of racist and obscene comments.
Harvard University itself advocates for the freedom of expressing ideas and the act of
rescinding the students proves the vagueness of the advocated theories which are not
practiced by the university management in future (Van Dyke & Tester, 2014).
Harvard and other schools do not possess the right to expel and cancel the admission
of the students due to the posts they make on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter,
Snapchat and Instagram (Tripathi, 2017). The social media sites provide open platforms to
every individual where they can express their ideas clearly. The students often use these sites
for recreational purposes. The violation of discipline is done by the students using these sites.
The students cannot be expelled using the posts as a reason for the expulsion and stopping
them from getting admitted in the institutions. The disciplinary grounds such as creating
nuisance in the school premises and the lack of attention can be made the grounds for the
expulsion of students. Keeping an eye on the social activities of the students should be termed
as immoral. The schools, universities as well as parents should not be vigilant on the
activities of the children as they violate their personal spheres. The grounds of punishment
should not be decided on the activities of social media. It is mostly noticed in the cases that a
person in reality is completely different from the personality he/she boasts on the social
media.

2RESTRICTIONS ON FREEDOM OF SPEECH AT HARVARD
The use of social media has created many problems such as cyber bullying, racial
crimes and also increased incidents of communal violence (Tripathi, 2017). Some children
post articles related to communal issues that disrupts the harmony in the social sphere. The
incident of 9/11 that happened in New York, USA is a noted example about the misuse of
social media. The Muslim community residing all over the world and specially in USA faced
several issues of harassment due to the fake posts by some students on social media sites
(Hanes & Machin, 2014). In case the harmful effects of social media are counted, they are
numerous issues but they cannot be made the ground for the barring the students to apply for
admission and their expulsion.
Thus, it can be assessed that social media posts cause a considerable amount of harm
to the individuals but they are a medium of expression of people’s own opinion and thoughts.
Students who post certain things on social media platform are often unaware about the dire
consequences of their posts. The posts alone cannot be considered the basis on which
students are barred from admission in educational institutions.

3RESTRICTIONS ON FREEDOM OF SPEECH AT HARVARD
References
Ardia, D. S. (2013). Freedom of speech, defamation, and injunctions. Wm. & Mary L.
Rev., 55, 1.
Hanes, E., & Machin, S. (2014). Hate crime in the wake of terror attacks: Evidence from 7/7
and 9/11. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 30(3), 247-267.
Tripathi, V. (2017). Youth violence and social media. Journal of Social Sciences, 52(1-3), 1-
7
Van Dyke, N., & Tester, G. (2014). Dangerous climates: Factors associated with variation in
racist hate crimes on college campuses. Journal of Contemporary Criminal
Justice, 30(3), 290-309.