Dive Brief:
- Following the violence in Charlottesville, VA this week, legal experts say public college officials have a solid case for blocking white nationalist speakers from campus — fear of public safety.
- The analysis comes after a judge found Auburn University was out of bounds when officials sought to bar National Policy Institute President Richard Spencer from campus in the spring, Inside Higher Ed reports.
- Leaders at both the University of Florida and Texas A&M University have rebuked Spencer and his cronies, calling their messages "repugnant," as they announced scheduled appearances were being canceled or denied.
Dive Insight:
More than protecting free speech, the top responsibility of university leaders is ensuring the safety of students, faculty and staff on campus. As administrators continue to weigh removing statues or renaming buildings on campus versus preserving institutional and national history and honoring the intent of campus benefactors, it is important to consider the message being projected to those on campus. And, since campus protests are likely here to stay, it is equally important to create spaces for dialogue, both formally and informally, to help students unpack their feelings about events taking place and help them handle those feelings.
For example, at a recent CHEA event when a panelist noted students had become more sensitive to speakers on campus and perhaps needed to be exposed to differing opinions, Sally Johnstone, the President of the National Center for Higher Education Management system, responded inflammatory speakers on campus are actually a critical safety issue administrators need to deal with appropriately.
“It’s not about hiding information or hiding multiple points of view, it is instead about the safety of individuals on campus,” said Johnstone. “FEMA is now offering training sessions on how to handle inflammatory speakers, as well as the costs that happen around them when protests escalate. None of this is an issue about disagreeing with the speaker. It is very seriously a safety issue.”
Rather than testing how students may react, Johnstone explained it's important for leaders to be prepared and offer resources for students who might be affected. For instance, a recent report shows students don't know where to turn for mental health services, and simply publicizing the availability of counselors can make a difference.