Students at this school sure have a lot of rules to obey when it comes to free speech.

Samantha Harris reports at the FIRE blog.

Speech Code of the Month: University of California, Santa Barbara

FIRE announces its Speech Code of the Month for September 2015: the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).

This summer, incoming UCSB students received a letter from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, which is also posted on the university’s website under the heading “A Letter to Students: What it Means to be Part of the UCSB Community.” In that letter, the UCSB administration states its “expectations” for a civil community, and it asks students to report to the administration any behaviors that conflict with the values it sets forth. Specifically, the letter says:

[A]cts of intolerance, disrespect, bullying, or violence, especially regarding sexual orientation, race, gender, ethnicity or religion (e.g., anti-Semitic or anti-Islamic expressions or behaviors) compromise our sense of community, our feeling of personal well-being, and our ability to live and learn together. … We encourage you to report such behavior, if you encounter it, and to seek assistance for yourself or others from the following resources if you become aware of an incident that compromises the values of our community. [Emphases added.]

This letter casts a powerful chilling effect over speech on controversial political and social issues at UCSB.