DePaul sets speech guidelines amid “anti-expression” criticism
Jan 16th, 2008 by Rob
DePaul University has unveiled a new policy outlining the school’s guidelines for on-campus student speech. Included in the guidelines is a warning to some students who have raised concerns that they may encounter certain viewpoints they will find offensive:
Ultimately, by remaining open to a broad range of ideas and opinions—even those that may appear to some detestable, uncomfortable, or false—we foster mutual understanding, test our beliefs, and create the best conditions for seeking knowledge.
The university has come under fire recently for its handling of several speech-related instances, including the suspension of a professor who argued with students (outside of class) about politics in the Middle East. School administrators were also criticized for banning the posting of flyers that could be seen as “propaganda.”
One student on the task force responsible for drafting the new policy reports that the committee disagreed on whether the language would open the door to hate speech and similar types of expression that would make students feel uneasy. The student responds:
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A university is not about feeling “comfortable.” The pursuit of truth is often the contrary. In fact, a university isn’t about “feelings” but knowledge. It is about reason and inquiry. … Students are better able to grasp ideas if their own are challenged.
The controversy comes amid nationwide debates on the kinds of expression that should be permitted on college campuses. Last week, Bergen Community College in New Jersey announced guidelines requiring students to pledge to “embrace and celebrate differing perspectives intellectually.”
Some Bergen students and professors take issue with the new guidelines, saying that these requirements threaten the First Amendment right to openly disagree with any perspective they wish.
Such issues are the focus of a new documentary, Indoctrinate U, in which the filmmakers visit colleges and universities throughout the country, “exposing the anti-intellectual, intolerant culture of our nation’s campuses.”
