Wesleyan Student Council war on the school paper

[circuitrider]

Here’s the crux of my question – where are the adults in the room? How could reasonably enlightened, educated people not see that trying to suppress opinions they don’t like, rather than rationally counter them, is inconsistent with democracy and not a long term way to achieve social justice? If it’s okay for the students at Wesleyan, then how can they morally object to conservatives trying to censor textbooks in Texas, as but one example? Democracy thrives on an open dialogue, not trying to deny anyone you disagree with a voice. The real danger is they may not like the nation that results if those in power are tolerated in unilaterally determining which opinions can be heard. Responsible faculty and administrators should be telling these people to grow up and give them valuable context, not be afraid to say anything negative lest they violate their safe space.

Very early on in the controversy, the university president did, indeed, issue a warning to student leaders that they were treading pretty close to the edge and that free speech and the marketplace of ideas - including uncomfortable ones - needed to be safeguarded:

http://www.courant.com/opinion/op-ed/hc-op-roth-wesleyan-argus-freedom-of-speech-1023-20151023-story.html

But, Wesleyan also has a very strong student culture that dates back to its days as an early adaptor of student-run literary societies, secret societies and intercollegiate sports. “The Argus”, itself is a product of that fertile period of growth just after the Civil War, when Wesleyan began to make the pivot from a denominational college to a more “metropolitan” world-view. Crucial to that vision was the idea of giving students as much responsibility to handle their own affairs as they can handle. Therefore, it’s not unusual that at moments like this almost anything may become a “teachable moment”.

My other question is, does this kind of closed-mindset represent the dominant culture at Wesleyan? Or is it a small but apparently influential minority? What has school/community life been like for the student who’s opinion sparked these protests and attempts at censorship? Or for the members of the paper’s staff? Do a majority of Wesleyan students appreciate the value of a free press, or are they myopically focused on ends-justifying-the-means tactics like those on the student government appear to embrace? It’s a sincere line of questioning relevant to prospective students and their families.

I think the prevailing feeling on campus is that there’s been a real rush to judgment about what actually did happen, is happening and will happen in the future. Contrary to the impression left by numerous members of the Commentariat (including a Who’s Who of Wesleyan alum in the field of journalism), the student whose opinion sparked the controversy has never stopped writing for the paper. If you click on his byline you will find at least half a dozen articles written since last October, including one entitled, “The Case For Donald Trump”. No one really cares.

Secondly, as noted in your opening paragraph, money and student activities are always going to be contentious issues. It’s not just “The Argus”; It comes up every time a booking for Spring Fling breaks its budget (although, in general Spring Fling is another example of a well-run student undertaking) and the student government has reacted nimbly in the face of a rapidly evolving state of play.They were absolutely crucial in walking the BLM petitioners back from their original position and I think most students applauded their efforts to do so. They, IMO, have successfully managed to move the conversation away from whether “The Argus” should exist to how should it (and other literary endeavors) be funded. That, I believe, is something about which fair-minded men and women may disagree. Amicably, I hope.