What if you could not wear your favorite shirt because of its message? What if putting stickers on your car or having a custom license plate was illegal? What if you were prohibited from speaking freely with close family and friends?  

As a loyal Kansas City Chiefs fan, I know I would be sad if I was not allowed to wear my Patrick Mahomes jersey. Even the little things like representing your favorite sports team and trash-talking other teams are forms of freedom of speech. Freedom of speech isn’t just what you say – although that is the most important part. It can be what you wear, the right to assemble and protest, the right to religion, freedom of the press or even what you tattoo on your body.  

Similar to most people, I grew up in the United States and did not even realize the power freedom of speech holds. To be completely honest, I did not know or care much about the law or our rights until college, even though my high school history teacher was amazing. We grow up and become so used to our culture and freedoms that we forget their value and take them for granted.  

I would even say that freedom of speech is one of the main rights that makes America, America. We are allowed to have our own thoughts and express them. As a country, we may individually have differing views, but we can share them and learn from each other, and we can even find effective solutions to problems by sharing thoughts and ideas. We can make our own businesses and advance the economy. We have the right to think for ourselves, and this is a right we often overlook.  

Now, I am asking you to not overlook this right any longer. I will introduce to you the wonderful resource that we have right here on campus. College is an integral time to learn to think for yourself and to make the best decisions possible. Lucky for us, we have access to Student Media, which is a student organization that gives us weekly news about Washburn and other topics through newsletters and magazines. Washburn is actively placing better alumni in the world by talking about timely and critical issues through Student Media. Student Media is also more highly protected than the U. S. Constitution requires because it is operated by college students. This means they can give you more accurate news because they can fear less about facing legal issues.  

Although Student Media is funded by Washburn University, Student Media cannot be censored. For example, if Washburn were to do something controversial in the future, Student Media could write a story about the controversy and inform the students about what is occurring. As students with the right to freedom of speech and the right to assemble, we could choose to protest and promote change on campus regarding the controversy. I would encourage each student to keep up with Student Media and read their stories.  

As your fellow student who is just now learning more about the law, it is my belief that each Washburn student should educate themselves on their rights and what fundamental freedoms make up our country and stay educated on the current news. This makes us smarter, wiser and better at voting – which is very important considering the upcoming elections. 

So wear your sports jerseys, put stickers on your cars and enjoy your freedom of speech! 

Edited by Jeremy Ford and Morgan Albrecht