Pepperdine University students showed their differing views on abortion on the campus Freedom Wall in 2021, ahead of the Supreme Court decision striking down Roe v. Wade. The Freedom Wall allows students to start discussions and engage in civil discourse.
Samantha Torre/Pepperdine Graphic Media
College campuses are centers of learning and discussion in the community, and sometimes the epicenter of youth political movements. Recent protests related to Israel’s war in Gaza have spurred new conversations among campus leaders about how to protect students’ First Amendment rights while creating a safe environment for all learners to engage.
A December Student Voice survey by Inside Higher Ed and Generation Lab asked college students what actions, out of a list of 11 responses, would be most helpful in promoting civil dialogue on campus or educating students on the importance of free expression. The most popular answer (43 percent) was creating designated spaces or forums on campus for students to share their opinions.
Despite how popular these spaces are among students, providing specific areas for student discourse is rare or more focused on restricting protests.
Inside Higher Ed compiled four examples of physical forums and other constructive spaces on campus to promote free expression and learning among college students.
Free speech zones: Some college campuses have created free speech zones, which restrict protest or other expressive activities to a designated space. Critics of these spaces have compared them to quarantines, pushing speakers to the fringes of campus, and they take issue with college leaders’ pre-approval of any public political expression.
Recent legislation introduced in Congress this past year would eliminate free speech zones and require institutions to disclose their free speech and freedom of association policies to campus community members, among other requirements. The bill passed in the House in September.
Physical spaces: Towson University in Maryland is home to the Freedom Square, which provides community members the opportunity to express and deliberate issues of civic concern, according to the university’s website. Within the square, students can hang out or study on one of the stone benches or share their thoughts on two large chalkboards. The university established the space in 2011.
Otis College of Art and Design and Pepperdine University are both institutions that have a designated Freedom Wall for students to engage in civic dialogue via creative expression.
The two colleges take different approaches with how students can engage in the wall. Students at Otis forfeit ownership of their work once posted on the wall, but Pepperdine protects students’ posts until at least Friday at 5 p.m. At Otis, students express themselves directly on the wall, attaching objects or painting on the surface. At Pepperdine, students post to a corkboard.
Free speech forums: Other institutions are investing in academic centers that can promote civic discourse and constructive dialogue among learners.
Arizona State University will launch an annual Free Speech Forum this spring, housed in the university’s Center for Free Speech, which “will engage students, faculty and the broader community and bring in national speakers on free speech,” according to a university press release.
Student groups can also facilitate spaces for open discussion. At Emory University’s school of law, the Emory Free Speech Forum “discusses important issues in law and society … with the belief that the best answers are found through unfettered debate.”
How does your campus create space for constructive dialogue on campus? Tell us more here.
