Many college campuses adapt the use of speech codes to protect their students from the vulgar and offensive language that resides on college campuses. The typical speech code used on college campuses is to prevent the use of racist, sexist, and homophobic slurs. Speech codes originated from the regulation of fighting words on college campuses. The regulation originated from the court case Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire. However, this regulation was intended to prevent the use of offensive speech that led to violent actions. “…the doctrine narrowed by the Supreme Court covers only speech that could lead the listener to commit acts of violence…some campuses have sought to broaden its scope to include references to certain specific characteristics such as ethnicity or l 'sexual orientation' (McGowan and Tangri 826). Speech codes on campuses not only apply to events outside of class, but also to classwork or homework. In one case, a student wanted to discuss a controversial topic, but was afraid of violating speech codes. “Doe, who was also a teaching assistant, stated that he wanted to teach some controversial theories that posited biologically based differences between sexes and races, but feared that doing so would make him subject to sanctions under the policy” (McGowan and Tangri 832) . This example demonstrates how the strict regulation of some discourse affects a student's learning opportunities. So why are speech codes being enforced on college campuses? One of the main reasons why speech codes are enforced is to protect young adults from the topics they may encounter