Finally, there is a hint of sanity in American higher education: the University of Chicago. The university’s dean of students, Jay Ellison, just told incoming freshmen that there would be no trigger warnings, no safe spaces and no withdrawing of invitations to campus speakers who might advocate unpopular ideas. The dean warned students, “You will find that we expect members of our community to be engaged in rigorous debate, discussion and even disagreement. At times this may challenge you and even cause discomfort.”
‘A university should not be a sanctuary for comfort but rather a crucible for confronting ideas.’
Dean Ellison’s message was echoed in an Op-Ed article in The Wall Street Journal by the university’s president, Robert Zimmer. He noted that, “A university should not be a sanctuary for comfort but rather a crucible for confronting ideas.”
That clarity and leadership is sorely needed in an academic sea of conformity, timidity and political correctness.
