LIVE DEBATE - Trigger Warning: Safe Spaces Are Dangerous

Long hailed as bastions of intellectual development and ground zero for the free and spirited exchange of ideas, today’s universities have come under attack by those who argue that a new generation of students and administrators are trading in academia’s most cherished values for political correctness and inclusion. At the heart of this debate is the question of safe spaces, how we define them, and whether they aid or hinder intellectual inquiry. Deeply rooted in social justice movements of the past, these spaces promise a reprieve from bigotry and oppression by allowing today’s students – the most culturally and racially diverse in history – the opportunity to express themselves in an empathetic environment. But to their critics, safe spaces pose a dire threat to free speech and undermine the resilience of a generation. Are safe spaces dangerously coddling young minds? Or are they a legitimate and necessary component of modern education?

For the Motion:

David L. Hudson Jr., First Amendment Scholar & Law Professor, Vanderbilt University

Suzanne Nossel, CEO, PEN America

Against the Motion:

Ashutosh Bhagwat, Law Professor, UC Davis

Michael S. Roth, President, Wesleyan University