"Feminism is Cancer" Acceptable apparel in a college classroom?

[Coventina]

Had a student wear a sweatshirt with that in bold lettering yesterday.

I've since been told by the school's lawyer that it is protected first amendment speech.

I said, "How about "Islam is Cancer"?"

Still protected speech I'm told.

WTF?

I give up.

We can't have nice things, like apparently welcoming classrooms of higher learning.

I'm so effing done with this country.

[maxsolomon]

1. Yep, protected speech

So is the speech that tells that jackhole to fuck themselves.

[Coventina]

3. Yeah, but if I say that, I'll be fired. It won't be protected speech for me.

For some reason.

[maxsolomon]

14. You work there

The students must respond to this trolling. This white dude (it's a white dude) is trolling every woman (and feminist men) on that campus, looking for a reaction that he can use to whinge about his oppression on AM radio.

There is a deliberate campaign to disguise provocations as free speech battles.

College Republicans are scum. Its up to every eligible female his age to tell him he'll never get laid. They can make it happen, too.

[Coventina]

17. Yeah, I work there, so I have no first amendment rights.

It's an effing double standard and I'm sick of it.

[Demsrule86]

36. The first amendment means you will not be dragged out of your house by the government for your

speech. It does not say your employer can't fire you for said speech...and if we want free speech we have to tolerate speech we don't like as well..."I hate what you say but would die for your right to say it is my mantra for these situations".

[Coventina]

46. I'm not going to die for hate speech. YMMV.

[Demsrule86]

85. hate speech is opinion...either speech is free or it is not...I am not talking about criminal stuff

obviously.

[Coventina]

86. OK, I'm not going to die for racists, misogynists, or any other type of bigot. YMMV. n/t

[tazkcmo]

111. Let me try.

I don't like the message on the shirt either. Having said that, when I swore into the armed forces I swore to uphold the Constitution for everyone. Feminists, straights, racists, militia types... everyone. Their rights are just as protected as yours and mine.

As someone else posted, it's up to the students to exercise their 1st Amendment right and give this guy he'll. You can't for the reasons you stated.

[Coventina]

112. I'm not keeping him from owning and wearing the shirt.

I just don't feel it belongs in the classroom.

If restaurants are able to require men wear jackets, I think it is reasonable that schools not allow bigoted messages on clothing.

[tazkcmo]

116. I agree with you.

I wouldn't like it either and I would warn the young man that his classmates may not like it either and they are free to voice that displeasure in ways he may find offensive and insulting. I would give this warning in the classroom so all understood the rules.

[LanternWaste]

138. weird you're getting so much blowback for expressing your opinion on this.

Seems weird you're getting so much blowback for expressing your opinion on this.

I kinda thought your point was accurate, succinct and obvious.

But I also kinda get why you have to explain the obvious to people who want to ignore it to better maintain their pretense of an alleged and irrelevant cleverness.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

87. Things are a little more complicated than that when the employer is the government.

[spooky3]

61. But you do--if it is a public school. nt

[Coventina]

62. No, as an employee I can be fired for anything they can construe as interfering with the

mission of the school.

[spooky3]

68. That is not correct. I teach this subject at a university. If you don't believe me, do online

research on employment at will and Constitutional protections on public sector employees' free speech. Search for a USSC decision for which John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion.

There are limits on your free speech rights, but there are also limits on students' free speech rights.

[Coventina]

69. Interesting. What I'm telling you is what the school's lawyer is telling me.

I'd love for them to be wrong.

[spooky3]

72. Yes, I saw that you were repeating what the lawyer told you. I believe you. But the

situation is complex, so if I were in your position I would research it.

PS Lawyers can be wrong as often as anyone else is--at my university, for example, I encountered a situation where a high level official was completely unaware of the Family and Medical Leave Act provisions and even after consulting with a university attorney, got it wrong.

[Alhena]

60. Correct - thanks to 5 Repuke justices in Garcetti v. Ceballos

[vlyons]

2. If I were a young person (I'm 71)

I would move to Denmark.

[Celerity]

96. Denmark is the most nationalist, anti-immigrant (maybe with the exception of Finland) of the 4 main

Nordic nations. The majority there look on with trepidation at what Sweden does in terms of immigration.

In Denmark, Harsh New Laws for Immigrant ‘Ghettos’

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/01/world/europe/denmark-immigrant-ghettos.html

COPENHAGEN — When Rokhaia Naassan gives birth in the coming days, she and her baby boy will enter a new category in the eyes of Danish law. Because she lives in a low-income immigrant neighborhood described by the government as a “ghetto,” Rokhaia will be what the Danish newspapers call a “ghetto parent” and he will be a “ghetto child.”

Starting at the age of 1, “ghetto children” must be separated from their families for at least 25 hours a week, not including nap time, for mandatory instruction in “Danish values,” including the traditions of Christmas and Easter, and Danish language. Noncompliance could result in a stoppage of welfare payments. Other Danish citizens are free to choose whether to enroll children in preschool up to the age of six.

Denmark’s government is introducing a new set of laws to regulate life in 25 low-income and heavily Muslim enclaves, saying that if families there do not willingly merge into the country’s mainstream, they should be compelled.

For decades, integrating immigrants has posed a thorny challenge to the Danish model, intended to serve a small, homogeneous population. Leaders are focusing their ire on urban neighborhoods where immigrants, some of them placed there by the government, live in dense concentrations with high rates of unemployment and gang violence.

snip

[cynatnite]

4. Put them on the spot for wearing it...

Do they know what feminism is? It's origin? Why is it a cancer? How has it hurt them? Why does it hurt them?

Look at it as an opportunity to educate and inform not just this student, but the entire classroom.

[Coventina]

6. I've been told I'm not allowed to confront him about it. n/t

[Caliman73]

103. You don't have to confront him directly.

Start a discussion about feminism in the class. What subject are you teaching? Make it part of the lesson. That way you can get student participation to counteract the position.

[Coventina]

106. Ha! Yes, I'm going to make the rest of the semester about feminism.

Thank you.

I don't know why I didn't think of it before.

[Caliman73]

109. No problem.

My wife was a history and humanities teacher in an alternative high school. Whenever a student said something racist, sexist, etc... Magically there would be a lesson plan discussing the topic with a healthy debate.

[whathehell]

5. How 'bout "Misogyny is a Cancer"

or "Sexism is a Cancer" as a response?...It works for me.

[Coventina]

7. Not allowed to confront him about it, per the school's lawyer. nt

[whathehell]

19. Is wearing a t shirt with that slogan "confronting" him?

If so, it would seem that HIS shirt would be deemed just as "confrontational".

[Coventina]

22. I can guarantee you if I "confronted" him like that, I would lose my contract.

It's a double standard.

[whathehell]

27. You're a teacher?

I didn't realize that.

[Coventina]

29. Yes, I am. I try to have a safe space in my classroom for all people.

Bigotry tends to curtail honest classroom discussion.

I just found out that bigotry is protected.

What a foolish innocent I was, apparently.

[whathehell]

39. I understand

Can I ask what state you teach in?....Misogyny & homophobic speech should NOT be tolerated in a classroom, especially if no "rejoinder" is permitted.

[Coventina]

43. Arizona n/t

[whathehell]

49. Uh oh..Red state.

Don't know how it would apply, nationally.

[lunatica]

33. It's his right to have opinions that are wrong.

If you get the opportunity to address him about it just say this with a condescending smile on your face. Then say, “isn’t this country great?”

The best thing is to dismiss him as a pathetic young man who finds women scary. Pity him.

[Silver1]

55. I don't know which subject you teach

I don't know which subject you teach, but maybe it's time for a lecture and class discussion on Feminist Ethics. You don't need to address him directly, but address the other students who also are being subjected to this. They certainly deserve that, and are probably as upset as you.

[AJT]

8. Unless it is "obscene" his speech is rightly protected.

At least everyone will know what kind of person he is and can avoid him.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

10. Obscenity is protected speech. {Edited, per informed sources: no, it ain't. See the replies.}

Last edited Thu Nov 8, 2018, 10:33 AM - Edit history (1)

{Edited: what I should have said is that pornography is protected speech. Not including child pornography.}

[Coventina]

15. Unless you are a professor. We don't get first amendment protections at public institutions.

I'm sick of this double standard.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

16. Check the analysis. Thanks. NT

[Coventina]

20. That is coming straight from our lawyer.

We don't get first amendment protections because we have to be "unbiased" toward hate speech.

So we're not allowed to speak against it.

That's what I was just told, by our lawyer.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

25. Define "hate speech." Also, does "our lawyer" represent you, or your school? NT

[Coventina]

26. saying hateful things based on gender, ethnicity, religion, etc.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

28. All protected speech, every last bit of it.

"Hate speech" is a nebulous concept. "One man's trash is another man's treasure." "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." And so forth.

[Coventina]

32. "Sorry for the sexism"?

Thanks for the pat on the head.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

34. I edited the post.

ETA: a sweatshirt that says "A woman's place is in the House, and the Senate", one of which I saw on the Metro the other day, can hardly be thought of as confrontational.

It's not taking any sides, is it?

Just my opinion. But, as I said earlier, IANAL.

[whathehell]

41. Isn't calling feminism a "cancer" hateful speech?

Have you asked the lawyer?

[Coventina]

42. Yes, they say it's protected under the first amendment.

It would have to be a direct threat for them to take action.

[whathehell]

48. Then the speech of dissenting feminist students, if not teachers, should be as well.

[Adrahil]

133. I call bullshit.

Could the student stand up in the classroom and start making an anti-feminist speech? After all, that is protected speech, right? Of course not. That would be disruptive. If the shirt is disruptive, it has no place in the classroom. If the student wants to wear the shirt outside the classroom, fine. Freedom of speech does not mean you have to say whatever you want, wherever you want.

[whathehell]

37. You can bet if he used slurs against racial minorities..

His "rights" would be curtailed, and I wouldn't argue with that, BUT, "hate speech" targets gender & sexual orientation as well, and I'm sick of that NOT being acknowledged.

[Coventina]

40. I used the example "Black People are Cancer" and was told it would be protected speech as well.

It's OK to be racist, misogynist, bigoted, and not have to answer to authority figures.

That's apparently how the US works now.

And, apparently many DUers are just fine with it.

Personally, I'm not going to defend a racist's right to speech with my life.

I'm just done.

I'm done with bigots.

I'm done with tolerating intolerance.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

44. "That's apparently how the US works now. And, apparently many DUers are just fine with it."

You bet, and I'm one of them.

Do I have to post The Picture again?

Sigh.



Source: https://blog.library.gsu.edu/2012/03/23/secularists-descend-upon-d-c-for-reason-rally/

Full disclosure: I went to George Mason Elementary School.

[whathehell]

45. Theoretically, he may be right -- In practice, it is NEVER tolerated

and we get myriad examples of this "lack of tolerance" every day... What a load.

[Turbineguy]

51. It seems to me

that this clown is trying to get you to react so that he can make a point. Maybe get you fired. Show off his power. If you got fired and it interrupted the class, the other students would suffer for it. Is this correct? This is college. People are in your class because it's part of the program they are required to take or they want to be there. They pay their tuition to learn and pass the class, not to have it interfered with.

It's your class. If people are there to disrupt it, they can get the boot. The schools where I work have that policy. This has nothing to do with free speech. It has to do with making sure that the students get what they pay for. That's the Deal. You are supposed to present the material, they are supposed to do their part to conform to the requirements.

I had a guy in one of my classes who gave me a hard time for three weeks. Finally toward the end I realized he would not pass the final. I had a quiet word with him. He was a Vet with PTSD. That very morning he started back on his meds (as it turned out). He got a Free Pass on that part. In the end he did pass the final and he apologized to me in front of the class.

The school told me that his employer (who was paying the fare) had doubts he would succeed and they were ready to fire him. By passing my class, he kept his job.

[Adrahil]

134. That lawyer is a gutless moron. NT

[spooky3]

57. I think you should investigate further as the school's lawyer MAY be wrong.

If it is a public school, there are limits to their interfering with YOUR right to free speech too.

Student speech that is unduly disruptive or promotes a hostile environment can also be limited.

You can research some of this on the web--and ideally, another attorney could provide guidance.

Here is one example of info you can find on the web:

https://theeducatorsroom.com/teachers-freedom-of-speech-rights/

[Ms. Toad]

50. Obscenity is one of the few forms of speech that is NOT protected. n/t

[mahatmakanejeeves]

100. Thanks for the correction.

I was beginning to have second thoughts about that. Generally, though, I thought that just about anything goes in the good ol' US of A. I can't say that I've ever tried to exercise my "right" to be obscene, so I was working from theory.

Note to self: if you go to the big "don't even think about it, Trump" rally tomorrow, don't do anything obscene, no matter how good an idea it may seem at the time.

"Lanius" wrote back about that as well. I'll get to that post now too.

Thanks again.

[AJT]

64. Not if it exposes childen to sexually explicit material,

which I think wearing clothing publicly with sexually explicit pictures, etc. would do.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

114. Thanks for pointing that out.

I was beginning to have second thoughts about the protections afforded to obscenity.

Generally, though, I thought that just about anything goes in the good ol' US of A. I can't say that I've ever tried to exercise my "right" to be obscene, so I was working from theory.

Note to self: if you go to the big "don't even think about it, Trump" rally tomorrow, don't do anything obscene, no matter how good an idea it may seem at the time.

"Lanius" and "Ms. Toad" wrote back about my posts as well.

Thanks again.

[whathehell]

23. Fine, then so is that of the "feminists".

One t shirt deserves another.

[violetpastille]

35. Good point

Convenient when they make it known up front.

[gratuitous]

38. Yep

I'd consider gifting the wearer (anonymously, so as not to create an atmosphere hostile to free speech) with a shirt saying "I don't plan to get laid ever."

[mahatmakanejeeves]

47. Obscenity is protected speech. {Edited, per informed sources: no, it ain't. See the replies.}

Last edited Thu Nov 8, 2018, 10:33 AM - Edit history (1)

{Edited: what I should have said is that pornography is protected speech. Not including child pornography.}

[Lanius]

54. Not all speech is protected. Obscenity can be deemed to be not protected if it meets a threshold.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

105. As I just said to Ms. Toad, thanks for the correction.

I was beginning to have second thoughts about that. Generally, though, I thought that just about anything goes in the good ol' US of A. I can't say that I've ever tried to exercise my "right" to be obscene, so I was working from theory.

Note to self: if you go to the big "don't even think about it, Trump" rally tomorrow, don't do anything obscene, no matter how good an idea it may seem at the time.

Thanks again.

[Lanius]

139. I'm not an attorney, but IMO the problem with obscenity is there is no real objective standard

that is applied equally in all jurisdictions. The Supreme Court uses the Miller test, which relies on what the "average person" would find obscene according to their "community standards".

The problem is what conservative, rural, small-town folk find obscene is quite different from what a liberal person in Hollywood or South Beach finds obscene.

With that said, there are some things that most people find obscene and believe isn't protected by the First Amendment, especially in the vicinity of minor children.

Also, Freedom of Speech only applies to the government (i.e. law enforcement can't arrest and courts can't prosecute you for your speech or expression unless it is obscene or are fighting words, etc).

And schools, to an extent, can curtail the speech of minor students, but just about all college students are legal adults.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

9. Lawsplainer: Can A State University Fire a Professor For Being An Ass On Twitter?

Lawsplainer: Can A State University Fire a Professor For Being An Ass On Twitter?

APRIL 18, 2018 BY KEN WHITE

Yesterday Fresno State Professor Randa Jarrar effusively celebrated the death of former First Lady Barbara Bush on Twitter.

Lots of people are clamoring for her to be fired.

Can she be, legally, consistent with the First Amendment?

Maybe.

I've written plenty of times before about the relevant legal analysis. I also discussed the lead case on the issue, and interviewed its plaintiff, in Episode Three of the "Make No Law" podcast. Here it is again, in shorter form:

Generally, the First Amendment prevents only the government, not your employer, from punishing you for your speech. But what if the government is your employer? Well, then the First Amendment offers you some protection from being punished by your employer for your speech. That protection is governed by a multi-stage analysis.

{snip}

[Coventina]

11. Yeah, the professor can be fired. But the students get a free pass, apparently. n/t

[mahatmakanejeeves]

13. Depends. The analysis takes some time.

Full disclosure: IANAL.

[Coventina]

18. Students might not get hired for their dumb speech when they are out of school.

But they are allowed to harass and bully while they are in school.

This is coming from the lawyer.

[NeverTrumpDemocrat]

128. Isn't the problem the former rather than the latter?

You should complain that your speech as a professor has been limited rather than complain that your students' speech has not been (yet.)

Your whole tenor on this thead is breathtakingly ass-backwards. Especially for a professor. You're thirsting for censorship.

[Coventina]

129. No, I'm thirsting for an environment conducive to learning.

Hate speech has no part of that.

[alwaysinasnit]

12. Would it then be OK to have apparel that says "Misogyny equals Male Insecurity"?

[Coventina]

24. No, I can guarantee you I would lose my contract if I wore something like that. n/t

[alwaysinasnit]

31. I guess that is the price to be paid to keep a roof over one's head. I'm sorry that you are in a

job where you have to bite your tongue.

[Baconator]

99. I think the point is that another student in the class could wear it...

... but the teacher as an authority figure, employee (possibly government employee) can't.

[TNLib]

21. How about grading his papers on a curve made just for him

But keep it to yourself.

I find losers like this tend to do poorly in life.

[muntrv]

30. Whoever sits next to this student should wear this T-shirt:

[Raven123]

52. Too bad you can't raise the thermostat to 85

If it were an appropriate assignment for the class, it would make a good essay topic. Let the students argue for or against the opinion. Suspect he knows little about either.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

53. This is why a simple rule to have no writing (lettering, printing)

on clothing worn at school, other than perhaps an apparel identifier) is a good one.

[Deb]

56. I know men born under Cancer that are not feminine. I wonder if they will survive it.

[nolabear]

58. Let the natural consequences happen.

I know it's offensive but trust me, unless it actually disrupts your class it's going to be far more effective to just shake your head, mutter "Children, I swear..." and go on. It's meant to get a rise out of you and the women and it's pitiful. But if it's viewed as a sad little example of immaturity and not worth your time then he can't feel victimized.

Btw I'm assuming the student was male. Is that right?

[Coventina]

59. Yes. White male.

[nolabear]

65. Not surprised.

[Coventina]

67. And a gamer.

[GulfCoast66]

123. Just be content knowing

That all his knowledge of anything feminine company is what he sees on his computer.

Misogynistic gamer? Not thinking the ladies are lining up to spend time with him.

[struggle4progress]

63. "Become the change you seek"

There are many ways to construct welcoming classrooms and to reinforce respectful behavior

Model respect yourself. Learn student names. Tell stereotype breaking anecdotes. Force students to work together and to get to know each other. Make clear that behavior that actually disrupts the learning environment (such as rudeness, shouting, &c) will not be tolerated. Try to keep your own opinions in the background

[Coventina]

66. I do all of that. I'm not new at this.

This is the first time I've had offensive language on an article of clothing.

I've always silenced offensive language spoken in my classroom.

I'm angry at not being allowed to address the student about his offensiveness.

[struggle4progress]

76. I expect if I handle stuff right, other students will deal with the nitwits better than I could

[Coventina]

84. It doesn't always work that way. I had a student who wore a hijab.

She was being bullied by some students and she came to me for help.

Students aren't always willing to confront other students.

[struggle4progress]

137. Of course, you are right that it doesn't always work that way

[tritsofme]

70. Sorry your employer (a government entity?) is not allowing you to suppress speech you dislike...

I don’t like their restrictions on how you can engage, but you have chosen to work there.

[Coventina]

71. I'm sorry you don't understand the importance of a welcoming environment to higher education. n/t

[tritsofme]

75. No, I certainly don't ever accept excuses for government imposed viewpoint censorship.

We have the First Amendment to protect from folks like you.

[Coventina]

80. Ooo yeah! The big bad bogeyman who might actually teach you something.

Run and hide!!!

[tritsofme]

121. Sounds like you have quite a bit to learn about free speech and the First Amendment.

Maybe you can get a discount on one of their civics courses?

[Coventina]

130. *yawn*

Nobody is crushing the little bigot's right to be a bigot.

But in my classroom, I expect my students to respect me, and each other.

By wearing that shirt he is being disrespectful to every woman in the room.

That's not OK.

[Tumbulu]

127. Well you sure sound like a nice person

Sending hopes for a speedy recovery.

[Hekate]

73. That guy might as well wear a shirt that says "I'm a bitter little Incel."

[Coventina]

83. When I saw it, I though about asking him, "Hey! Are you Incel? Your shirt seems to say so."

I'd probably get fired for that, for some dumb reason.

[Hekate]

94. I'm surprised at all the pushback you're getting from people who deny the reality you must deal with

I don't know how many ways you can explain that going against the institution's legal counsel means loss of employment. Sad, you know?

[Coventina]

95. Or how about the ones who think I'm evilly trying to suppress his "free speech"?

This thread is reminding me why I keep vowing to stop spending time here.

[Hekate]

97. No kidding. They sound (I'm sure they don't intend to) as though they'd gleefully...

...troll the rest of DU under the banner of "My First Amendment Rights Trump Yours In Every Way." If they were allowed to under the TOS -- and still we have to thrash out the meaning of civility here a couple of times a year.

[meadowlander]

74. Yes. Sounds like a teachable moment if ever I heard one

Instead of being the t-shirt police, why not set an example by really calling out and testing the message.

[Coventina]

81. Except I'm not allowed to. n/t

[Ms. Toad]

136. Find a real constitutional lawyer.

Your rights are not so limited as you seem to think - especially at the university level. You probably don't have the right to tell him not to wear it - but there's almost certaily a way to work the discussion into a class in a way that makes it safe for everyone else to tell the little jerk exactly how his shirt makes him feel, both women - and cancer survivors.

You can almost certainly find a way, regardless of subject matter, that you can use to force him to back up his offensive slogan with reasoned, supported, arrguments (or, better yet, require each person to adopt the argument that runs counter to their personal opinion)

[Separation]

77. Probably need to make one that says

Catholics pay their church to protect child molesters and see how that fart goes over.

[ProudLib72]

78. This college professor wouldn't stand for it

If it happened in my classroom, I'd report him to our intervention/student conduct team. I would make sure to state that his behavior is directly affecting the atmosphere of the classroom and causing other students to be anxious and fearful.

[Coventina]

82. Well, I've been shut down by admin.

And, we're evil suppressors of free speech, don't ya know?

See above in the thread.

[ProudLib72]

90. Yes, I read the entire thread

And it pissed me off to no end.

The college I teach in wouldn't stand for it either. They are hyper vigilant of intolerant behavior. I would say that at least 1/3 of our students are foreigners. I had four students in one class of 12 who were DACA. You get the picture. I am sorry that your college is so evil!

[Coventina]

93. Thanks for the support.

If "Free speech" is so G-D Damn sanctified, then everything we say about Trump every day here is hypocritical.

There is a such thing as unacceptable speech in certain contexts, and education ought to be one of them, if education is supposed to mean any damn thing at all.

Sorry, venting.

[marybourg]

79. I find his tee shirt motto pathetic,

and would, after an initial snort of derision, ignore and avoid him. He’s wearing his insecurity about his own sexuality on his chest. How is that anything other than pathetic?

[rwheeler31]

88. He wants attention. Turn the heat up in your classroom so

that wearing a sweatshirt is uncomfortable see what he does.

[Coventina]

89. Unfortunately, I don't have access to the climate controls.

But I like your idea.

[krawhitham]

91. Yeah that's how it works

[FSogol]

92. At least you know who the asshole is without him having to open his mouth.

[Baconator]

98. Yes...

Obviously...

[MineralMan]

101. That slogan is stupid and bigoted.

It's on a young adult, though, in a public place. It's offensive but not illegal. So, as an employee of that place, you're stuck. Another student could say something about it, but you can't, since you're representing the school.

I think you'll probably have to do your best to ignore it. There are no rules or laws that protect people from being offended by slogans. It's just one of those things we have to put up with, so we can wear shirts that say "Trump Sucks" or "Jesus Died for Nothing."

[Coventina]

104. Except that I'm not allowed to express my disapproval.

And, I'm not allowed to address the chilling effect it could have on my classroom.

What about the other students?

They are paying their tuition to get an education, and believe me, they are not getting the best I can give them if I'm distracted by a bigoted student and having to tiptoe around what I say to him.

There are profound reasons why higher education (and K-12 for that matter) needs to be a safe space for everybody, and that means being respectful of others and not GOING OUT OF ONE'S WAY to be offensive, as this student is doing.

[MineralMan]

113. I understand, and agree with the frustration.

The expression of ideas that are offensive to some is very annoying, but is permitted by our laws and society. A college is an adult venue. A public college cannot restrict language or ideas that some find insulting, troubling or disturbing. The First Amendment doesn't offer filters that can be used to limit speech or expression.

No doubt, the wearer of that slogan intends to create anger or other emotions in others. That's deplorable, but not actionable by the institution or its representatives.

Adults. Public spaces. Freedom of expression. There it is.

[Coventina]

115. Soooooo....when I had students who were bullying my student for wearing a hijab, I was in the wrong

for putting a stop to that?

Weren't they allowed to express their opinions of her dress?

Was I suppressing their free speech?

[MineralMan]

119. Different situation, entirely.

[Coventina]

120. How so? Did they not have the right to question how she dressed?

They didn't THREATEN her, or touch her physically.

It was just free speech.

I was told (as is in my OP) that saying "Islam is cancer" is protected speech.
I did not know that at the time, when I chastised those students.

Silly me, I saw it as offensive, and sought to end it. (which I did)

Now I'm being told offensive is OK.

[WillowTree]

140. You're in a post-secondary arena.

Time for any of the "other students" who have not done so yet to get accustomed to the fact that there are other people who have thoughts and ideas that they will find offensive but, unfortunately, there is no constitutional (or any other that I know of) right not to be offended.

You're giving this kid too much power over you. If he's just airing his unfortunate opinion and not personally attacking someone else, he's free to do so. If you let him see that it's getting to you, he will have accomplished his purpose, at least as far as getting into your head is concerned. Just be the bigger person.

[Mosby]

102. don't students sign some sort of code of conduct?

Maybe his shirt violates that.

And if a couple students want to admin amd said they felt threatened by the shirt they would probably have to do something.

[Coventina]

108. I'm told by our lawyers that it doesn't violate student COC.

It violates a statement I have in my syllabus about intolerance.

I'm thinking about putting something in about clothing going forward.

[Corgigal]

107. So, smile

and say sorry she said no, hon.

Move on.

[dawg day]

110. All the non-nasty students should sit far away and declare loudly,

"This is why you never get a date. No one will ever fall in love with you. Poor loser."

Only you have to worry he's a fan of Eliot Rodgers.

[TomSlick]

117. My firm represents both a public school and a private university and I have questions.

At what type of school do you teach? Grade school, high school, college? Is the school public or private?

[Coventina]

118. Public college n.t

[TomSlick]

122. Thanks. That helps focus the answer.

A student at a public (but not private) institution has a First Amendment right of free speech that the State - through the agency of the public college - may not infringe. The classic statement of the law is that a student does not loose his or her free speech rights "at the school house door." Tinker v. Des Moines School Dist., 393 U.S. 503 (1969).

However, the First Amendment right is not unlimited. (Think shouting "fire" in a crowded theater.) A public institution can prohibit student expression that is "disruptive." For example, if the student's offensive shirt caused a disturbance in class, the institution may forbid its wear. The level of offensiveness that must be allowed is higher in college than it would be in a high school. I think (without any authority with which I am familiar) that what would be disruptive would also vary from institution to institution and area to area.

A reasonable question is whether there was an actual disturbance. If the other students reacted in a fashion that was disruptive, that would be a important. (Yes I know, that is a heckler's veto but I nevertheless think it important.) If there was no reaction in the class other than silent opprobrium, the institution probably cannot forbid the student from wearing the shirt. However, if the student caused a disruption by wearing the shirt to class, you need to ensure college counsel is aware of that fact. If college counsel is a member of National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA), s/he should consider posting a question on the Association website.

Similarly, faculty at a public institution also have a First Amendment right. However, my advice would be not to confront the student in class or in public. First, it's just not fair - your superior position is not a good start for a fair debate. More importantly, that type of confrontation is probably what the student is wanting. One of my personal rules to live by is apropos: "Never argue with stupid people. They will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience." (Mark Twain)

It has been my observation through the years that college professors are often called upon to make judgment calls about students, e.g. the student who is on the cusp for the next higher grade at the end of the term and may or may not deserve a break, or a student looking for a recommendation for a job, etc. Your student is making a poor choice in convincing the professor he is unintelligent. It is, after all, a round world.

Good luck.

[GulfCoast66]

124. I had an uncle who had a term to describe men(boys) like that.

‘There’s a man that never had his ass kicked’.

Sorry, I grew up in a more rough and tumble time and place.

That shirt would not have been worn when and where I went to college and the professors would not have had to concern themselves with it. But I know kids are raised to be less violent than my generation was and overall see that as a good thing. But occasionally...

[VOX]

125. Student could be trolling for the right-wing Turning Point USA...

Or a similar organization. Indoctrinated students will troll profs in order to “out” them as having the ever-elusive “liberal bias.”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turning_Point_USA
<snip>
Since 2016, Turning Point USA has maintained a Professor Watchlist that lists college professors it alleges "discriminate against conservative students and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom.” The organization has also secretly attempted to influence student government elections in an effort to "combat liberalism on college and university campuses.”
<snip>

And which right-wingers serve on Turning Point’s advisory board? Ginny (Mrs. Clarence) Thomas, for one. Finders include the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation, named after the in-laws of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. So many branches and roots leading to the same rotten tree.

[Blue Owl]

126. The fall line of incel fashion

This polyester-blend pullover is great for MAGA rallies, or just hanging out in mom's basement...

[BlueSpot]

131. Grade on a curve n/t

[Meowmee]

132. Most colleges have to follow Title IX

to receieve federal aid so I think the lawyer is wrong. I just took a training course in this for my state.

https://www.sadker.org/TitleIX.html

Here is a case in the UK as well.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/22/exeter-university-students-spotted-wearing-t-shirts-with-anti-se/

[Adrahil]

135. Cancel your class if he wears it again.

Say that shirt makes you feel unsafe and threatened. Threaten to sue for creating a hostile work environment if they attempt to retaliate. Let them ponder a lawsuit from YOU.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

141. It is protected speech,

but wearing a shirt like that says more about the person wearing it than anything. Most people will think the person wearing that shirt is an asshole. I don't have a problem with the assholes publicly outing themselves. Guys wearing shirts like that will have a major hard time getting dates with women. A woman wearing that shirt is just going to seem crazy and self loathing, also not attractive.