University of Chicago to Incoming Freshmen: Don’t Expect ‘Safe Spaces’ Here

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This article was good news.
University of Chicago to Incoming Freshmen: Don’t Expect ‘Safe Spaces’ Here
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The University of Chicago, one of America’s most prestigious and selective universities, is warning incoming students starting this fall not to expect safe spaces and a trigger-free existence during their four-year journey through academia.
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In a letter sent to the class of 2020, Dean of Students John (Jay) Ellison said one of the defining characteristics of the school was its unwavering commitment to freedom of inquiry and expression. Civility and mutual respect are vital to the campus culture, the letter states, but not at the expense of shielding students from unpopular opinions or ideas.
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“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,” the letter states.
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The University of Chicago is consistently ranked one of the top universities in the world, and also one of the most selective. Only about 8% of the more than 31,000 people who applied to enter the class of 2020 were accepted by the school.
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The warning from Chicago stands in sharp contrast to many other American universities that have gone out of their way to coddle students by protecting them from ideas they may find offensive or disturbing.
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So-called trigger warnings have been issued over everything from newspaper opinion pieces to art exhibits to reading assignments so that students who might find the content distressing or disturbing can avoid being exposed to it.
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Safe spaces, where students can shelter from ideas or expression they find discomforting, are the other trend du jour on some campuses. Brown University last year turned a room on campus into a safe space by outfitting it with cookies, coloring books, soft music, pillows and a video of frolicking puppies, along with trauma counselors, after students complained that a speaker invited to campus would be too upsetting.
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The University of Chicago is having none of it. To drive home the point, the letter to students includes a link to a report on freedom of expression issued by the university in January 2015. The report quotes a former president of the University, Hanna Holborn Gray, as saying that “education should not be intended to make people comfortable, it is meant to make them think.
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“Universities should be expected to provide the conditions within which hard thought, and therefore strong disagreement, independent judgment, and the questioning of stubborn assumptions can flourish in an environment of the greatest freedom,” she stated.
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It’s unfortunate that they even have to make such a statement, but full marks for doing so in such an unequivocal manner.
 
I understand trigger warnings for war vets or rape victims, etc., but if your just not able to handle it because it offends sensibilities, you shouldn’t have taken the course! I think everyone was a bit uncomfortable when seeing the “n” word in a historical book for English class, but that doesn’t mean you need a warning, unless you have had a trauma in your life that would cause flashbacks to circle your head after seeing that word; in which case you should take the initiative. There are too many safe spaces at my school to be funny. What about critical scholarship?
 
I do not like safe spaces at all. They encourage political correctness and they stamp out dissent from the liberal agenda.
 
It’s very rare that I hear of something I like coming out of Chicago. This is good to hear! Way to go University of Chicago!
 
I knew I liked people in Chicago! They are very down to earth. They don’t take no flack from nobody.

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I think it’s a good idea…

However I think for issues like rape or gore, they could be some sort of warning given, or talk about it in a tasteful way. I remember a group doing a presentation on self harm once and they showed pictures of bleeding wrists…not really a good idea IMO

Stupid TWs should definitely be abolished though. Like if a picture of a juicy hamburger or a half naked woman ‘triggers’ you to binge or masturbate or whatever (stuff that people are usually exposed to all the time), maybe professional help is a good idea. Because, hey, it’s the real world. I know people that get a meltdown if a muslim were to say “my religion doesn’t accept gay marriage” :rolleyes:

The idea of a safe room seems so odd but I do hope troubled students with issues can get help should they feel traumatized or something…desensitization therapy for example, gets rid of anxiety and whatever feelings they get reeeaaally slowly. So exposing certain upsetting stuff at once and telling students to get over it is not good at all. Of course they can’t cater to everybody, but certain TWs like talking excessively about rape, for example, shouldn’t be abolished.
 
It seems to be a sickening trend lately to be a big baby. Literally. I’ve heard they have coloring books, pillows, cookies and milk. I thought…seriously?
 
I don’t mean to be so harsh, but they need to act their age. They are over eighteen.
 
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