Controversial Speech in a Polarized Climate
Activism and charged debate on campuses are certainly not new, but the intensity of the vitriol we’re seeing puts institutional leaders in unfamiliar territory, writes Kevin Kruger.
By
Kevin Kruger
February 3, 2017
7 Comments
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Our nation has changed.
And along with it, the climate at many colleges and universities has become more polarized, especially during the most recent presidential race and now as the new administration settles in. The election stimulated an emerging culture where people who may hold offensive or hateful beliefs now feel their perspective has been legitimized and they have permission to give voice to their views, many of which students may find repugnant or even threatening to their safety.
In response, student activism, already on the rise these past two years, will surely increase. The most recent set of executive orders from the new administration has clearly activated college students, as thousands of them protested the executive order on immigration across the country this past week.
This increase in activism will not be easy for colleges and universities to manage. The violence before and subsequent cancellation of a planned appearance by Milo Yiannopoulos at the University of California, Berkeley, on Wednesday night frames the difficult position that higher education institutions face in this time of polarized debate. Creating space for protest and keeping students and the campus community safe is immensely challenging, particularly at institutions where the campus and the community share porous boundaries.
https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2017/02/03/dealing-controversial-speech-campuses-essay
