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BU students comment on ongoing freedom of speech debate

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions declares that freedom of thought and speech are under attack on college campuses. PHOTO BY ABIGAIL FREEMAN/ DFP FILE PHOTO

Recently, college campuses have been hotbeds of free speech controversies, with the U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions chiming in last week. Sessions declared on Sept. 26 that “freedom of thought and speech on the American campus are under attack,” but many Boston University students disagree.

Sessions’ speech at Georgetown pointed to a perceived decline in college students being able to exercise their First Amendment rights and called for a national commitment to recognize these rights. Sessions also criticized “safe spaces” on college campuses, saying they work as a “shelter for fragile egos.”

When asked about BU’s stance on students exercising their First Amendment rights, BU spokesperson Colin Riley wrote in an email that the university supports it.

“The university expects discussion and debate to be civil, whether in a classroom setting or elsewhere on campus,” Riley wrote. “Students develop critical thinking skills by exposing themselves to new ideas and listening to all sides of an issue. In doing so, some may be uncomfortable.”

Riley noted that there have been several controversial speakers at BU without any issues.

Yet despite universities’ efforts, some experts say that efforts to crack down on offensive speech have swung the pendulum too far back.

Tobe Berkovitz, an advertising professor in the College of Communication, said he thinks free speech is under threat across the country — a quandary aggravated by the current political climate.

“I do think free speech is under attack in many parts of America,” the media analyst said. “Speech both on the left and on the right. People are not very open to hearing ideas that they do not agree with in our polarized society. This means that people just want to hear things they agree with.”

However, Berkovitz said he thinks BU has a higher tolerance for diverse ideas relative to other college campuses.

“Overall there … is a culture of respect for diverse opinions or people to be able to present their points of views and have it heard,” Berkovitz said. “Certainly, everyone has the right to disagree or agree but one would hope it’s in a way that respects everyone’s rights.”

Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences student Erin Sullivan said she agrees with Session’s point that “safe spaces” on college campuses are not conducive to free speech.

“[Safe spaces] promote that kind of close-minded thinking,” the sophomore said. “I think that everyone should be encouraged to listen to all sides as much as they can, so it shouldn’t be supported by schools to allow them to not listen to all sides.”

Mark Usov, a College of Arts and Sciences freshman, agreed that safe spaces can be counterproductive to the free flow of ideas that is often considered an important trademark of American universities.

“I do believe safe spaces are a negative thing because the university being an intellectual space, ideas have to be confronted and have to be examined thoroughly, which basically safe spaces might advocate against,” Usov said.

BU’s liberal leanings might also discourage conservative students from voicing their opinions in a healthy dialogue, added Angela Wang, a CAS senior.

“Sometimes people from conservative families or who hold a conservative view might not feel like they can speak out as much,” Wong said. “[Safe spaces are] good for people who are more liberal. But at the same time, for conservative people, it might make it more difficult.”

Some students, however, said safe spaces are important on campus, as many ill-intentioned students abuse their First Amendment’s protections to spew offensive speech.

Nicole Ficher, a COM senior, said even though she thinks free speech is important, the concept is often exploited by those trying to disguise their hateful viewpoints.

“While it’s important to expose yourself to the opposite side and put yourself in other people’s shoes to build strong, defendable beliefs in your own values and opinions, I find that those who claim their freedom of speech is being violated often want protection for hateful, vitriolic speech meant to degrade, disarm and disenfranchise,” Ficher said.

Still, many students don’t think free speech is in danger at BU.

Jose Azocar said although safe spaces may foster an unrealistic political environment detached from the rest of the world, he doesn’t think that Sessions’ grievances are an issue here.

“At BU, I haven’t had any issues on free speech come up,” the CAS freshman said. “I don’t think safe spaces are a really realistic view of the world necessarily. To some extent, every space should be a safe space, but at the same time, judgment is a thing that’s real and exists and you have to be able to handle it, not just run away from it.”

Sophia Wong, a Questrom School of Business freshman, echoed Azocar’s sentiment.

“I feel that everyone is able to express their feelings freely, whether it be in a peaceful protest or just with their peers in class,” Wong said.

Wong added that she thinks Sessions’ criticism has merit, but as a BU student, she has not personally experienced the attacks he has described.

“While I have yet to experience anything like this at BU and hope not to, I have seen this attack on free speech on college campuses in the news,” Wong said. “As students, we just have to keep speaking our minds and try and try again with peaceful protests, and eventually someone will hear our voices.”

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article stated that Sessions’ comments were from Sept. 24. The article has been updated to state that his comments were from Sept. 26.

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