A powerful letter from the University of Chicago regarding safe spaces, trigger warnings

Universities and college campuses used to be the beacons of intellectual discourse, the champions of free speech. These academic institutions were meant to challenge every idea, every thought, every proposal to its very core. Today, they have metastasized into buildings where people are frightened of hearing speech they don’t agree with or listening to people they dislike. This has been the trend for the last five years, and it’s both befuddling and concerning.

Well, the University of Chicago has decided to reverse this pattern.

In a letter to the class of 2020, the university confirmed that it will not maintain trigger warnings, establish safe spaces or uninvite speakers students disagree with.

This has to be the best letter penned so far this year.

Here is the entire letter (emphasis is ours):

Welcome and congratulations on your acceptance to the college at the University of Chicago. Earning a place in our community of scholars is no small achievement and we are delighted that you selected Chicago to continue your intellectual journey.

Once here you will discover that one of the University of Chicago’s defining characteristics is our commitment to freedom of inquiry and expression. … Members of our community are encouraged to speak, write, listen, challenge, and learn, without fear of censorship. Civility and mutual respect are vital to all of us, and freedom of expression does not mean the freedom to harass or threaten others. 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.

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.

If you have children then this is certainly a post-secondary institution to consider!

Surprisingly, Twitter has yet to be in an uproar over the letter. So far, all of the comments have been positive.