Are Colleges Supressing Diversity of Thought?

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the left-leaning Chicago Tribune condemned DePaul’s actions. “Universities can give in to the demands of students and others who won’t tolerate disagreeable ideas, or they can uphold the standards of academic freedom and free expression.” By silencing Shapiro before he even could speak, DePaul was not upholding the standard of academic freedom they owe to their student body. When free expression is allowed to be silenced by students who use threats and violence, a university is no longer a place of learning, but of division and academic suppression.

Ideas also have another place to go and die on today’s college campuses; the safe space. Once again, DePaul has an opinion on this issue. “Safe spaces, especially in an university setting, are necessary and crucial to make progress within social issues. Safe spaces are a natural action all individuals partake in… safe spaces are settings where students with opposing viewpoints can intellectually discuss differences in hopes to make progress with the matter.” This makes safe spaces sound fairly reasonable. However, since the writer points out, “safe spaces are a natural action all individuals partake in”, what is the point in creating one on campus in the first place? If discussing differences is so natural, why create a zone with a warm and fuzzy name like safe spaces to allow students to engage in what is already a natural action?

Whether the viewpoint of DePaul University about safe spaces is to be believed is irrelevant. The fact is that safe spaces are being used to suppress debate and free expression on many university campuses. One such university is Pomona College in Claremont, CA. Recently, a Pomona student from a conservative leaning campus newspaper attempted to cover one of these safe space debates on campus. When it was discovered who he wrote for, he was no longer welcome in this safe space.

“’The death blow of free press in this safe space struck later,’ Gu continues, ‘when I started to take notes on my laptop just as the event began. As I finished typing my second line of notes, I was informed that note-taking would only be permitted if it was approved by all participants of the event--if even one participant objected to my note-taking, I would not be allowed to take notes. Unsurprisingly, after a blindfold vote, at least one person voted against note-taking, and I was told to stop taking notes. I was told that taking notes made participants uncomfortable, and that I should respect the AARC as a safe space.”

Noble intentions aside, this is increasingly the way safe spaces are being used on college campuses. This is but one example of a growing trend that shows no sign of dissipating. Reporter Kai Patterson asks about safe spaces: “I am also prompted to ask if freedom of expression is a right solely devoted to those who are oppressed. Is it possible to advocate freedom of expression for only benevolent members of society without being a hypocrite? Again, I am conflicted.” If college campuses, long a bastion for new ideas, debate and critical thinking are becoming suppressive of free speech and thought, then how long until society becomes intolerant of diversity and incapable of civil debate and compromise?

As amenities over academics have increasingly become the focus of marketing departments on many college campuses across the nation, we have seen how this results in a student who feels more like a customer than a scholar. When colleges pander to them by allowing them to shout down opposing viewpoints, we see how diversity of thought is disappearing across college campuses. We need only turn on any news broadcast since last November to see how this trickles down to create a society that can no longer debate and compromise, but instead seeks to silence opposing views. Ideas seem to matter less than the volume and passion with which they are shouted at those who disagree. By encouraging safe spaces which control speech and thought, we are not equipping our next generation of leaders with the tools to lead.

It should be no surprise that society is becoming more divided, when students at all levels are increasingly taught what to think, rather than how to think. Only by opening up our own minds and tolerating opposing viewpoints can we begin to combat the increasing lack of civility in today’s society. We can also demand more from our learning institutions. As student’s we can lobby for more diverse viewpoints to be represented on campuses from all sides of the aisle. As parents of students, we can demand an end to the coddling of our students through the use of over-sensitive, first amendment suppressing “safe spaces”. As alumni we can threaten to end donations for our schools until they put ideas and academics before amenities and feelings. For those of us who will go into teaching ourselves, we can take an oath that we will present all sides of the topics we are teaching, allowing students to analyze that information and formulate their own opinions. Most importantly, we can change our own experiences by challenging ourselves by listening to other viewpoints, and taking courses which will enrich our educations as well as our lives. As Ben Franklin once said, “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.”

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