How should colleges handle trigger warnings and safe spaces

UChicago recently made headlines about their disapproval of them

Safe spaces are locations where an individual can go without fear that they will be harassed or made uncomfortable. Trigger warnings are warnings that precede sensitive material. The University of Chicago seems to not feel a need for such practices and made that very apparent to the student body.

In the university’s welcome letter, the university stated that “Our commitment to academic freedom means that we do not support so-called trigger warnings, we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and we do not condone the creation of intellectual ‘safe spaces’ where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own.”

Their motive was to promote free speech by not limiting places where the first amendment can be practiced. Although, professors are allowed to use trigger warnings at their discretion.

Anti-political correctness folk praised the letter. Mary Katharine Ham, a senior writer for The Federalist, believes that the letter “should be applauded mightily for stating what used to be obvious.” Most people, on the other hand, took issue with the letter, with most saying that trigger warnings protect the most fragile students.

My question is, why should the professor be responsible for protecting these people? Shouldn’t they be responsible for their own feelings and emotions?  In an ideal world, they would be.  It is the job of the professor to teach the topic that they know best. (For the record, the only people who are allowed to have other people protect their feelings are soldiers with PTSD).

If a student truly has a problem with the nature of a class, s/he should talk to a counselor, most, if not all, colleges have them.  Students will never get over their triggers if they run and hide.  The world outside college doesn’t care about anyone’s triggers.  Students need to learn self-responsibility, which includes dealing with things that may make them uncomfortable.

I have very much the same problem with safe spaces. How can someone get over their problems by constantly running away from them? College students are (or should be) perfectly mature enough and capable enough to be responsible for how we respond to emotions and situations in which we feel uncomfortable.

Sensitive college students like to use safe spaces and trigger warnings to hide from views that differ from theirs. It is important that colleges crack down on these cases.  It is worrisome that many colleges, like Pitt, fully embrace these without considering the proven fact that many will abuse these to hide from those who challenge their views on the world.

It is important that policies are made to protect everyone’s view, no matter how controversial it is. They have first amendment rights just like everyone else, no matter how offensive it is. Pitt should make it clear that hiding from problems and opposing viewpoints is never OK, and is immature for a college student to do.

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University of Pittsburgh