At UC-Davis, Students Can’t Register Until They Concede It’s Wrong to Say ‘I’d Hit That’

The University of California, Davis, requires students to
complete an online activity in which they must identify certain
words and phrases as “problematic” before they register for
classes. Students are prompted to match “I’d hit that,” “I raped
that exam,” “bitch,” “pimp,” and “slut” with the correct
explanation for why each term should not be uttered.

The correct answer for “I’d hit that” is, “Expression used to
indicate interest in having sex with the subject of the statement.
This phrase indicates an inherent connection between sex and a
physically violent act.” Here is a screenshot of the quiz, courtesy
of the
Foundation for Individual Rights:

FIRE informed the university that the activity violates
students’ First Amendment rights, since it requires them to affirm
that these words are indeed problematic. FIRE’s Susan Kruth

explains:

There is no option for students to argue that the
phases aren’t problematic, or to simply
acknowledge that the phrases are considered problematic by many.
Students must agree that
they are problematic.

As FIRE notes in our letter:

“While UC Davis is free to urge students to consider the broader
social and political implications of their speech, the university
cannot, consistent with students’ right to be free from compelled
speech, require its students to adopt certain viewpoints or affirm
that particular types of constitutionally protected speech are
objectionable as a condition of their ability to register for
classes at the university.”

University administrators maintain the activity is consistent
with First Amendment principles because students are still
permitted to register even if they get all the questions wrong. But
this is merely akin to letting students choose from a range of
compelled viewpoints—they are still compelled to express one of
those viewpoints. The College Fix’s Greg Piper summarizes the
university’s position as, “you can pick your god as long as you
pray.”

Additionally, I would heartily dispute that merely using the
word “bitch” promotes violence. But I would be forced to change my
mind if I tried to register for classes at UC-Davis.