Chapter 10: Hate Speech and Hate Crimes on Campus: Anti-Muslim Speech and Cyberbullying

Hate speech as in the examples above serve as critical reminders that our college campuses are microcosms of American society. The FBI gathers data on the number of hate crime incidents; however, given that the number of participating agencies and higher education institutions vary from year to year, a precise estimate of trend lines cannot be calculated, or very often determined altogether (“Hate Crime Statistics,” 2009). Still, the numbers reported do suggest a downward trend. From 1996 to 2010, the number of hate crimes in America declined from 8,759 reports in 1996 compared to 6,628 in 2010. Hate crimes on campuses have mirrored this trend with 291 in 2003 compared to 224 reports in 2009 (Hate Crime Statistics, 2010).