Students debate limits of free speech on campuses

News The quarterly debate showcase, hosted by the Chicago Debate Society, came after discussions over free speech on campuses across the country and governments around the world.

Posted Feb 21, 2015 by Sonia Schlesinger

The Chicago Debate Society hosted its Winter Quarter Showcase Debate on Thursday regarding whether free speech restrictions should be implemented in universities.

Third-year and president of the society Jing Chai and fourth-year David Peterson argued in favor of the claim that universities ought to prioritize the well-being of students over traditional free speech rights, while third-year Michelle Jiang and fifth-year Chris Riehle opposed the claim. Rights are social and legal constructsdetermined by the people who frame the system of a particular society, usually the dominant groups, Peterson said. He argued that this has allowed them to use discourse that drowns out minority voices and legitimates outright racism, classism, sexism, and homophobia in speech.

The University has some sort of moral obligation to protect the people who come here from physical harm, he continued. Wetell you that psychological harm is fundamentally analogous to physical harm in that it prevents you from self-actualizing.

Jiang and Riehle emphasized the difficulty of quantifying the severity of psychological harm and of implementing such restrictions realistically. Jiang also drew attention to the consequences of restricting discourse: The fact they shut down discourse by always saying theres a right side is fundamentally problematic, she said.

Jiang and Riehle then addressed the potential danger of limiting free speech in universities, which are intended to prepare students for life after college; they argued that the real world does not necessarily operate under these limitations.

Following this portion of the debate, several members of the Debate Society made floor speeches in favor of one side or the other, and the debate was concluded with closing arguments from both sides.

This structure is typical of Parliamentary Debate; the Chicago Debate Society is a part of the American Parliamentary Debate Association and is one of the oldest RSOs on campus. The team competes in tournaments nearly every weekend at colleges and universities around the country and is usually quite successful, winning several awards each year and often qualifying for the National Championship.

The debate topic itself is particularly pertinent in light of debates on free speech both among governments throughout the world and on college campuses across the country, including multiple discussions surrounding free speech rights here at UChicago. Recently, shootings at a free speech debate in Copenhagen and at the office of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in France have sparked such questions, particularly in America and Europe.

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Students debate limits of free speech on campuses