Don’t Tell Me What’s Best for My Students
I would resist a resolution condemning trigger warnings as vigorously as I would a resolution requiring them.
See Thru Edu is a project of the Texas Public Policy Foundation
Thomas K. Lindsay, Ph.D., Editor in Chief and Director, Center for Higher Education, Texas Public Policy Foundation
Posts
Senator Sanders Speaks at Liberty University
Following the address by Sanders, Liberty’s campus was not rocked by protests. Nobody complained that the school should have put out “trigger warnings” and no students demanded a “safe place” where they could heal from the trauma of words that clashed with their deeply held beliefs.
Free To Learn? Think Again: Campus Censorship On The Rise
There is a better way to purge the intellectual barbarism operating within the university’s gates. Rather than rely on lawmakers, universities should clean up their own houses.
Federal Rules Run Afoul of First Amendment
I’m going to focus on the last consequence—the way federal intervention in higher education has empowered bureaucrats to whittle away at free speech on (and even off) campus.
Congress vs. Campus Speech Restrictions
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R., Va.), chair of the House Judiciary Committee, recently sent a pointed letter to 162 public colleges and universities whose policies fail to ensure the First Amendment rights of their professors and students.
Time to Follow the “Chicago Way” on Free Speech in Higher Education?
Barely a mention has been made of the most frightening crisis that American higher education faces—the assault on free speech and debate. Both parties have, up until now, missed the opportunity to challenge our nation’s universities to adopt the “Chicago Way.”
Will Americans Be Better Off If They Use “Bias-Free Language”?
The people who spent their time coming up with the Guide did nothing to help educate any student. If anything, their infatuation with revising English so that everyone feels included and is never assailed by linguistic microaggressions gets in the way of clear writing and thinking.
Portland State University Will Shut Down Political Activity If It’s ‘Triggering’
Administrators told a conservative student that his political protest could “trigger” a negative reaction from others—as such, he was prevented from continuing with his plans.
Ironic Case in Point on Tenure
A lot of the University of Wisconsin professoriate is outraged that Republican governor – and presidential candidate – Scott Walker has worked to end tenure built into state law. One aggrieved professor who has attracted a lot of attention is Sara Goldrick-Rab, who recently likened Walker to Hitler
Critical Thinking, or the “Expectation of Confirmation?”
We hear again and again from college leaders that they want students to learn “critical thinking skills,” but evidence keeps mounting that the exact opposite is happening—that many students are learning how to make life miserable for those who dare to disagree with them.
