The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

In 2017, after Brandi Levy failed to make the varsity cheer team, she released her thoughts in a vulgar statement sent to around 250 friends on Snapchat. Though Levy’s unabashed profanity on social media after failing to make the varsity cheer squad might seem trivial, her case highlights the censorship threat of student free speech and more punitive measures in the future for all students, both on and off campus, if the court did not rule in her favor.

Court ruling serves as severe reminder of the significance of protecting free speech

by Alysa Suleiman, Co-Editor-In-Chief August 31, 2021

In 2017, after Brandi Levy failed to make the varsity cheer team, she released her thoughts in a vulgar statement sent to around 250 friends on Snapchat. The school discovered the statement through word...

Mary Beth Tinker holds up a signed black armband to an audience of student journalists at the JEA/NSPA convention, a similar piece to the original black armbands she wore to protest the resulting casualties of American involvement in the Vietnam War.

Free speech activist Mary Beth Tinker inspires student journalists at annual NSPA convention

by Alysa Suleiman, Sports Reporter November 23, 2019

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Bathed in a dim, warm orange glow, the expansive convention room exploded in a deafening round of applause as activist Mary Beth Tinker stepped onto the podium. To an audience of hundreds...

A condemnation of conspiracies

A condemnation of conspiracies

by Aditya Singhvi, Sports Editor December 2, 2018

To raise anti-immigration sentiment as the midterms came up, a conspiracy theory gained popularity on social media that posited billionaire George Soros is surreptitiously funding the caravan of central...

Crossing a line

Crossing a line

by Arushi Saxena, Global Editor November 12, 2018

free press: (n.) A press having the freedom to operate without interference or censorship. On Dec. 15, 1791, Congress ratified the first amendment, guaranteeing the freedom of expression and the right...

Dialectic: Free Speech

Dialectic: Free Speech

by Kathy Fang and Jin Tuan September 3, 2018

In our recurring Dialectics, two authors with contrasting viewpoints discuss an issue of prominence in the local or broader community. We hope to use these multiple view stop provoke deeper thought among...

Students protested during genocide denier Justin McCarthys talk titled Turks and Armenians: Nationalism and Conflict in the Ottoman Empire at the University of Chicago in April. The University of Chicago has struggled with issues concerning free speech and academic freedom, leading dean of students to state in his letter that safe spaces and trigger warnings will not be used in the following school year.

Loss of safe spaces and trigger warnings ceases to encourage free speech and diversity

by Nicole Chen, Aquila Features Editor September 7, 2016

In a welcome letter addressed to the University of Chicago’s class of 2020, Dean of Students Jay Ellison stated that “trigger warnings” and “safe spaces” will no longer be utilized in the university...

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