The following is an opinion written by Plano, Texas, junior Dane Checkon.
Across the United States, colleges are once again grappling with the role of the First Amendment as student activism increases and debates over free speech intensify, such as the pro-Palestine protest and encampments at Harvard in 2024 and 2025, and the 2023 disruption of Judge Kyle Duncan at Stanford Law School. Protests and campus controversies have highlighted how essential free expression and freedom of association – an implied protection under the First Amendment, since it is a derivative right necessary to exercise the listed freedoms of speech, assembly and petition – are to students and campus organizations alike.
Colleges, after all, are supposed to be places of learning where ideas are tested, challenged and debated, not filtered out because they make someone uncomfortable.
Why the First Amendment Matters to Students at Albion College
While private colleges and universities are not legally required to uphold the First Amendment in the same way public institutions are, the values underlying freedoms of speech, assembly and association should still be central to campus life at Albion College. These rights are foundational to student organizing, protest movements and the open exchange of ideas that define a healthy academic community even when those ideas are unpopular, annoying or coming from someone tabling outside the KC at an inconvenient time.
Recent demonstrations on campuses across the country underscore just how vital these freedoms are. Yet polling and survey data suggest a troubling trend: Many students feel that expressive rights on campus are weakening. A U.S. House committee fact sheet found that nearly half of surveyed students believe it is acceptable to block others from attending a speech, and more than a quarter believe that using violence to stop speech can be justified. In other words, free speech is widely praised in theory but increasingly conditional in practice.
These findings point to a growing disconnect between constitutional principles and campus culture. They raise serious concerns about whether universities are adequately protecting viewpoint diversity and the ability of students to form groups, clubs and associations without facing ideological pressure or needing unanimous approval from everyone who disagrees with them.
The Central Role of the First Amendment
Freedom of association is especially critical on college campuses. The right to gather, organize and form groups around shared beliefs allows student organizations to serve as engines of political engagement, cultural expression and intellectual exploration.
Whether an organization is advocating for a controversial political cause or simply bringing together like-minded students in a faith-based group or Greek organization, the freedom to associate deserves protection. The ability to gather and speak freely is essential not just to campus life but to students’ development as citizens and to ensuring that disagreement on campus remains a learning opportunity rather than a crisis.
Proud of you son!