With The People | Common Ground for Action     College Campus Series 2020 

Free Speech and the Inclusive Campus

Please join us for a With The People | Common Ground for Action (CGA) online deliberative forum on Wednesday October 14th at 7:00pm ET on Free Speech and the Inclusive Campus: How Do We Foster the Campus Community We Want?

The United States is becoming increasingly diverse and more polarized as we struggle to address complex public problems such as immigration, health care, economic inequality, and America’s role in the world. As public trust in our political system waivers, U.S. college campuses are grappling with issues of inclusion, diversity, and freedom of speech. Conversations about free speech on campus are often framed in opposition to diversity and inclusion and have spawned controversies, protests, and even violence. In 2017, a much-cited survey of more than 3,000 college students conducted by Gallup and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation presented diversity and inclusion as directly opposite free speech, asking students which issues they felt were more important; 53% chose inclusion and 46% chose free speech.

In today’s contentious and divided political environment, what should colleges and universities do to meet the roles and responsibilities of higher education to foster the campus community we want? In this forum, we will discuss three different options:

Option 1: Prioritize studnent safety and wellbeing

Option 2: Affirm the educational value of curiosity while engaging with ideas across difference

Option 3: Uphold the ideals of free speech