In the recent weeks, the University of Chicago sent out a letter to the upcoming freshman saying it wouldn't condone “safe places” or “trigger warnings” for students. John Ellison, who is the dean of students, said the following: “Our commitment to academic freedom means that we do not support so-called trigger warnings, we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and we do not condone the creation of intellectual ‘safe spaces’ where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own.” These things are being offered to students at many colleges across America, and though they may seem compassionate and kind, are they really helping? The University of Chicago most definitely doesn't think so, and I have to say I agree.
Students who enter college are at the age where they learn to fly on their own. They have a solid four, hard years ahead of them and maybe even more after that. For some students, this is the first time they are living somewhere other than their parents' house. To me, this is a very impressionable age for young adults. When they are given the opportunity to learn how to do life on their own and they are given the opportunity to utilize a safe space, they aren't being prepared for life after college. In the real world, there aren't safe places that are given when someone needs to be coddled. Trigger warnings aren't used in daily conversation in the work place. It's human decency to respect others and what they may fear or what may set them off but, shouldn't we be teaching students how to be their own safe place? I know there have been plenty of conversations I have excused myself from because it may trigger my anxiety, and that's just one of the many tools I've learned for handling myself in daily life.
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College is about opening yourself up to new ideas and different opinions. If those experiences are filtered in a way to not upset someone, then how will students learn to accept other opinions around them? This world we live in is full of different opinions, and they will be voiced, regardless if it's on or off campus. My fear is that students won't learn to open their minds to ideas others have to offer. I am a very sensitive person, and I will respect the things someone may not feel comfortable talking about. I am just one person, though. Unfortunately, the rest of the world isn't like that, so students should be able to handle whatever life my throw at them. That's what colleges should be teaching.
In retrospect, there are some safe spaces that are for alcoholism, drug addiction, and sexual assault. If a university is going to have a safe space, that is what it should be for. Those are realities for some students, and they should be addressed. If a safe place is for a student to escape ideas around them, that is only hurting the student. My hope is students will find safe haven in their closest friends or families. I hope they learn to lean on those who love them most.
University of Chicago, I stand with you. You are preparing your students for the real world, and to face the problems that may arise after life in college. College is a place where you should go to open your mind and absorb as many different ideas and lifestyles as you can. I'm glad the University of Chicago is making a way for that to happen.
