Recently, while visiting a university for an accepted students’ day, I had the opportunity to attend a class on American constitutional law. The professor progressed quickly through a list of 20th century Supreme Court rulings and their consequences, jumping from one topic to another so fluidly that I wondered whether anyone knew what he was talking about. Then the professor dropped a bombshell, stating that “students are in the lowest echelon of constitutional protection.” The truth of this statement immediately dawned on me. Youth and young adults are the future leaders of this country, yet our constitutional rights and collective concerns are often overlooked by politicians and administrators nationwide.
People under 25 make up about one-third of the US population. We are a formidable crowd of millennials who demand fulfillment from our jobs and education and who utilize social media to help form our personal identities. Yet despite our superior understanding of technology and our highly-articulated opinions (enhanced by the depth of information available online), the concerns of this age group are often ignored, even censored, by lawmakers, administrators and adults in positions of power. Youth unemployment stands at a staggering 13.4% compared to the 5.2% national average. Student loan debt is skyrocketing, along with college tuition rates. The constitutional freedoms of students have been continually eroded. Not surprisingly, issues of youth rights don’t find very receptive ears on Capitol Hill, where the average ages are 61 for senators and 57 for representatives. Even the ultimate authority in objective rulings, the Supreme Court, can be shockingly out-of-touch with youth issues, and many of their decisions over the past three decades have validated this point. While these rulings take place far from home in an insulated court room, they set precedents that daily limit the basic rights and protections of students.
The censorship and suppression of youth voices begins early on in a student’s educational career. From the time when teenagers can first start articulating their opinions, high school administrators have the right to censor school publications if they deem student articles to be "inconsistent with 'the shared values of a civilized social order.'" This precedent was set by the Supreme Court’s 1988 ruling in Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, and it has a wide-reaching effect on the first amendment rights of teenagers. It is healthy and beneficial for schools to have a “free, vigorous student press,” as reported by the Commission of Inquiry into High School Journalism. Yet this basic constitutional freedom can legally be denied to students by adults in positions of power. Last year, when my school faced an unpopular change in leadership, the top administrator took advantage of this censoring power by facing off against our school newspaper. She continually rejected numerous graphics that the newspaper wished to publish, such as political cartoons, on a completely arbitrary basis. The result was a frustrated newspaper staff and a slew of angry teachers. The principal was easily able to abuse her right to censorship and wield it as a source of superiority.
This is unfortunately not the only Supreme Court precedent that curbs youth rights. In the 1985 case New Jersey v. T.L.O., the Court ruled that students should have a “reduced expectation of privacy at school.” This decision came about after the illegal search and seizure of a high school student's property. As long as a school has “reasonable suspicion,” they have the right to conduct these unwarranted searches and seizures. This violation of a student’s right to privacy was again put to the test in the 1995 case Vernonia v. Acton, which ruled that schools have the right to randomly drug test student athletes. The majority opinion made clear the extent to which youth privacy rights can be violated, claiming "students who voluntarily participate in school athletics have reason to expect intrusions upon normal rights and privileges, including privacy." Such a broad, disenfranchising statement is an outrage.
Regrettably, the intolerance of youth rights and opinions doesn’t end after high school. In a 2010 study entitled “Engaging Diverse Viewpoints” conducted by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, 24,000 college students and 9,000 campus professionals were asked whether they thought it was “safe to hold unpopular views on campus.” The results of this study revealed a sharp contrast to the perceived “haven” of college environments. Only 30 percent of respondents strongly believed that “it is safe to hold unpopular views on campus.” This proportion was lower for seniors than it was for freshmen, demonstrating the disillusionment with campus censorship experienced by some students during their four years. In addition, only 28.6% of students said that campus administrators “publicly advocate the need for students to respect perspectives different from their own.” These results indicate a lack of tolerance for dissenting viewpoints at the institutions that are preparing us for our future.
After college, young adults still face formidable challenges in securing employment and financing student loan debt—debt that is created by the constant expansion of institutions' administrations and their "right" to charge staggering amounts for college tuition. Voter registration for the 18-24-year-old age group sits at a disappointingly low 39% of those who are eligible, largely due to the complicated registration process in many states. And young adults wishing to be lawmakers on behalf of their peers will likely have to wait many years before being elected to office.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to this problem. The best way for students and young adults to counteract the suppression of their rights is by becoming educated, aware, and vocal. By drawing attention to these issues through a host of platforms--and voting whenever possible*--students and young adults have the power to make a difference. While a national lower voting age remains a distant prospect, the involvement of youth in protests and policy-making could help influence older lawmakers and administrators to pay attention to our pleas.
It can be hard to have a voice when the adults around you are trying to keep you quiet. But through education and agitation, the youth of this generation can secure expanded rights for many generations to come.
*(If you are or will be 18 by Election Day [November 8, 2016], you can register to vote right now!)
