Free Speech on Campus

I went to college to learn and to grow. I wanted some of that growth to come from conversations with people that had different ideas than me. And although the Corona virus has limited a lot of my face to face interactions, I still get to be a part of discussions online with peers that have different ideas than I do. The discussions that are the most difficult are the when the topics of politics, religion, or economics come up, but it’s these difficult discussions that lead to the most learning about other people and other ideas. Not only are peer-to-peer discussions good, but inviting outside lecturers also adds to the diversity of ideas that are discussed on campus. I think lecturers from across the political spectrum should be invited, and that this speech should be protected, even if it makes some students or faculty uncomfortable. This discomfort can be productively channeled, not into violent protests, but into more discussion. For example, in the Q&A and afterwards students and faculty can debate the ideas presented based on their merits. I don’t think censoring speech or guest lecturers is effective in the end; and it deprives everybody the opportunity to engage in the full range of ideas in the marketplace. Let’s keep discussions alive and let the best ideas win.