Dear University of Chicago Staff Member,
You have recently come under media spotlight for sending out a letter to your incoming freshman class stating that you will not condone “the creation of safe spaces” and the use of “trigger-warnings” in order to ensure that your student’s ideas are challenged in an intellectual and beneficial way. This entices me because it is my opinion that human beings can only learn through disagreement, and much of my life has reflected this. I find joy in debating everything from religion to TV shows at lunch with my friends. In fact, one of my favorite classes was my debate class as I learned how to formally argue my opinions. Communication is key to human development and most of the time, discussing, debating,
…show more content…
I had never seen or heard of a school being so passionate about maintaining academic strength, even if their methods were not politically correct. Furthermore, it is now even more clear the University of Chicago shares the values that I hold within myself about standards of learning. As soon as I was old enough to develop my own opinions, my parents and I would watch the news together at night, discussing and debating the rights and wrongs of the world, covering thousands of topics over the years. The one thing I appreciated most about these nights was the way that my parents challenged my ideas and made me come up with thorough explanations for every point I argued. I learned that while it’s important to fight for what you believe in, you must also accept that others will often have differing opinions. I also developed a desire to learn more about the world by exposing myself to people with differing opinions and points of views than me, and I enjoy exploring their reasoning. It is very clear that UChicago would foster this kind of rational instead of trying to make students conform to one way of thinking, building an environment I want to be apart
As American universities and colleges grow their demographics, diversity and ideas there is a continued and an accelerated debate regarding freedom of speech within these higher education institutions. College campuses are struggling to simultaneously provide a learning environment that is inclusive to traditionally unrepresented students while also providing an environment that allows for ideas to be challenged and debated no matter how offensive or controversial.
After my first semester in college, I was left with a new and exciting learning experience. I engaged in discussions on controversial topics and was exposed to various reading and media material which opened me up to new perspectives. In classrooms, questions about politics, abuse, drugs, death, relationships, religion, and ethics were discussed without restrictions. I enjoyed this learning experience on the most part due to the professors announcing the topics to be discussed the first day of classes. Being fresh out of high school, such a practice relieved the transition into a new academic environment. However, I cannot solely rely on my personal experience when deciding on where to stand regarding the controversy that has students, parents, educators, and administrators in disagreement. In my research I plan to explore the controversy over the use of trigger warnings and safe spaces by analyzing both sides of the debate. My goal is to come to a conclusion concerning the proper use of trigger warnings and safe spaces; specifically, when should trigger warnings be given, where is the use of trigger warnings and safe spaces appropriate, and most importantly, what subjects should students be warned or protected from. I
Colleges and universities are places of higher education and learning. Part of this learning comes from listening and understanding opposite views from your own. Positively, these zones have allowed students to avoid any ideas they may not want to hear; however, avoidance is not the way around life. Another positive outcome of free speech on campuses is that students are able to bind together
Two specific groups that I identify with as part of my decision to attend Columbia Southern University is based on my family and work. As an individual my choice to attend is based on my own desire to achieve a higher education in order to obtain a job that is satisfactory to the life and goals I have mapped out for myself. By having a job for which I have specifically attended school for, it will allow me to get and sustain a career conducive to my own happiness and prosperity. While my own individual choice to attend school is great, I have a family that encouraged me greatly in this decision. Both my mother and father, between the two, have a Master’s degree in criminal justice, and a Bachelor's degree in paramedic studies. Naturally
“A movement is arising, undirected and driven largely by students, to scrub campuses clean of words, ideas, and subjects that might cause discomfort or give offense” (Lukianoff and Haidt 44). Colleges are sheltering their students from words and ideas that students do not like or are found to be offensive. Affecting their education and cognitive skills, scientists are warning colleges to refrain from coddling the students and allowing other viewpoints to be spoken. People are speaking their minds, saying their own views; however, some people are over sensitive and take these viewpoints offensively. In the article “The Coddling of the American Mind,” Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt successfully argues using rhetorical questions, specific examples, and affective visuals that protecting college students from words and ideas deteriorates their education and mental health.
Benjamin Franklin once said, “Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom; and no such thing as public liberty, without freedom of speech.” Indeed, free speech is a large block upon which this nation was first constructed, and remains a hard staple of America today; and in few places is that freedom more often utilized than on a college campus. However, there are limitations to our constitutional liberties on campus and they, most frequently, manifest themselves in the form of free speech zones, hate speech and poor university policy. Most school codes are designed to protect students, protect educators and to promote a stable, non-disruptive and non-threatening learning environment. However, students’ verbal freedom
The true substance of this editorial comes from the authors use of logical appeals and its relatability to students. [These are two different ideas—which is going to make your paragraph rather jumbled. How could you reorganize to make sure each paragraph is focused on a single unified idea?] The author argues the importance in not going “so far in protecting undergraduates” (n.p.) from controversial or touchy subjects. A substantial part of education consists of understanding your opinion, as well as, the
Conversations in the media and on college campuses regarding trigger warnings, safe spaces, and microaggressions have been impassioned, to say the least. Many have found such requests to be reasonable, because students, in essence, are seeking a respectful atmosphere in which vulnerabilities are respected and insults are not tolerated. Critics have argued that designating some spaces as “safe” implies that others are “unsafe,” and it follows, then, that these “unsafe” spaces should be made “safer.” To what end? Even those who express support wonder: where to draw the line? What topics warrant trigger warnings? Who decides what constitutes a microaggression? That certain subjects demand delicate treatment in the classroom is hardly
“A movement is arising, undirected and driven largely by students, to scrub campuses clean of words, ideas, and subjects that might cause discomfort or give offense” (Lukianoff and Haidt 44). Some colleges shelter their students from words and ideas that students do not like or are offensive to them. However, unless colleges want to affect their education and mental health, colleges need to refrain from cocooning the students and support students to speak and hear different viewpoints freely. Most people speak their minds, saying their views; however, some people are oversensitive and take these viewpoints offensively. In the article “The Coddling of the American Mind,” Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt successfully persuade their audience
A little heads-up can help students engage with uncomfortable and complex topics, and a little sensitivity to others, at the most basic level, isn’t coddling. Civic discourse in this country has become pretty ugly, so maybe it’s not surprising that students are trying to create ways to have compassionate, civil dialogue.
DePaul University is one of the only institutions in the Chicagoland area that allows an individual to receive a masters in nursing without having a bachelors in nursing. Depaul’s location The MENP at DePaul University separates itself from other MENP by guarantee a full intensive-care clinical rotation to students at one of their 75 clinical sites. DePaul’s ability to offer such an astonishing number of different clinical sites opens the doors to a variety potential networking avenues, which is vital upon completion of the program.
"The Big Uneasy," by Nathan Heller addresses one of the biggest topics on college campuses today: the safe space vs. the need for diversity of opinions. “Shielding students from unwelcome ideas (is) unhealthy for the workforce and the democratic commonweal.” Students believe they have a right to decide what information they learn and liken it to their choice in diet. However, just as the body needs a varied diet to thrive so too does the mind. Many of the educators struggle how to balance the demands of students with their lesson plans and learning goals. “The trick is to find a way to get us open and receptive rather than defensive,” says Wendy Hyman. The other side of the coin is that many of the students protesting for changes came from
Unofficial: 104 S. Ct. 1211; 79 L. Ed. 2d 516; 1984 U.S. LEXIS 158; 52 U.S.L.W. 4283; 33 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) P34,158
Students should never be scared to express their opinions; they shouldn’t feel scared of what would happen if they did. Many academics will contend that, at least ideally, classroom debate should be lively, even heated at times. Emotions may run high.
Northern Arizona University, founded in 1899, is a public university located in Flagstaff, Arizona. NAU has 36 campuses in the state of Arizona. Over 7,000 students live on the Flagstaff campus, while living on campus people will say it is most convenient. On campus your surroundings are very familiar and near by. Like most would guess, living on campus you are open to tons of opportunities and have a lot more of the university experience you'd be missing out on if you were to live off campus.