While students are enjoying their break from classes, New Hampshire legislators are standing up for their free speech rights on campus. A pair of state representatives recently introduced two bills to protect academic freedom at New Hampshire’s public colleges and universities. They’re not alone: Learn Liberty has launched a new website encouraging students to #SpeakFreely without fearing what others might think.
College is the time to voice and hear different opinions. This not only aids the learning experience, but exposes students to the diversity of the world around them. When students ditch their biology textbooks for staff meetings, they’ll have to know how to deal with different people—and the various viewpoints they bring to the table. There are no repercussions for “microaggressions” or designated “safe zones” at work or anywhere else after graduation. Employers expect their employees to be open-minded even (and especially) if they disagree with someone else. College is an opportunity to refine that skill.
In the video below, University of Illinois-Chicago Professor Deirdre McCloskey explains that a free society is a speaking society, in which students should experience different forms of rhetoric and persuasion. As she makes clear, living life in a bubble does no good for anyone.