Update from Johns Hopkins: Student Council Still Unhappy with New Speech Code

A member of the Johns Hopkins Student Council writes in to FIRE’s Campus Freedom Network with an update on the continuing travails of free speech at Johns Hopkins:

Dear CFN,

I thought you’d like an update on the JHU free speech debacle. First, read over President Brody’s Commencement Speech. Pay attention to the final paragraphs regarding the “truth” and how one should not be afraid to speak it... .

Also, tomorrow the “Committee to Implement the Principles of Civility, etc.” is meeting, and our Student Council President is a member of the Committee and will report back on their activities, and will tell them that the Student Council, as per the university’s mission, and Brody’s speech, is opposed to punitive action based upon free speech violations. We are working hard next semester to convince the university, through all possible methods, that free speech, not totalitarianism, is the way to go.

We’re encouraged that members of the Student Council are holding steady in their opposition to President Brody’s new speech code, which we’ve opposed from the start.

If you’re a student or faculty member interested in becoming a member of FIRE’s Campus Freedom Network, please drop us a line. We’d love to hear from you.