American colleges and universities are grappling with what it means to make their campuses “safe spaces.” They’re looking at whether there’s a way to keep students – particularly those from marginalized groups — from being threatened or bullied, without compromising academic freedom.
But here in the Washington region, many see that debate as a life and death issue. In the last academic year, racist fliers were found on area campuses, a black student leader was targeted with death threats, and an African-American student was killed — days before his graduation — by a suspect with alleged white supremacist views.
So what’s the line between speech that makes students uncomfortable, and the conduct that makes them unsafe? And how can university officials decide without stifling academic freedom?
