On College Campuses, Tests of Free Speech

http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/17/opinion/on-college-campuses-tests-of-free-speech.html

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To the Editor:

Re “Who’s Really Limiting Free Speech?” (“On Campus” series, Op-Ed, Jan. 9):

I applaud my colleague Donald P. Moynihan’s critiques of the legislative interventions with university courses that have emerged in recent times. A critical aspect of academic freedom is the freedom of faculty and departments to choose what and how to teach. But he is wrong to play down the suffocating effects of identity politics activists and the forces of so-called political correctness.

Recently, activists disrupted — without sanction — a conservative speaker in a public forum at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and they have demanded that the administration disallow conservative speakers from appearing on campus.

Dissenting students tell me that they “shut up” in class out of fear of being targeted for harboring inappropriate views. And the evident lack of intellectual diversity fuels legislative disrespect in the first place. The University of Wisconsin is not alone in experiencing these and related problems.

Freedom of thought needs protection from threats left and right.

DONALD A. DOWNS

Madison, Wis.

The writer, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is the author of “Restoring Free Speech and Liberty on Campus.”

To the Editor:

I was happy to see Donald P. Moynihan’s article discussing the pressure on researchers and educators whose work is counter to the ideological agenda of elected officials. Yet I finished the article with frustration. We need an honest discussion on the definition of trigger warnings and safe spaces.

Trigger warnings are meant to assist students suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder by preparing them for material that might include a trauma-related cue, like the depiction of rape or a bombing. Safe spaces are places where L.G.B.T.Q. students can discuss a sensitive issue related to their gender or sexuality without being socially, professionally or physically harmed.

Neither safe spaces nor trigger warnings are about suppressing free speech; they’re about mitigating the very real risks some students face.

If you are frustrated with political correctness, it’s because you don’t feel free to be honest about your thoughts and feelings because of the immense social pressure around you. The people who need safe spaces and trigger warnings are in many ways dealing with the same problem.

SARA JAMSHIDI

State College, Pa.

The writer is a doctoral student in mathematics at Penn State.