In the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre, a total of 33 individuals were laid to rest as paranoia suddenly rippled through classrooms across the nation, forcing universities to reassess their security measures and emergency response strategies. From the empty bullet casings, a different threat with potentially far-reaching and devastating consequences to the American education system and basic civil liberties slowly emerged.
On Tuesday, the “State of Freedom of Speech in the University Classroom, Post-Virginia Tech” formed the basis for discussion during a special forum that was hosted by the American Association of University Professors. The event was held at the Backdoor Playhouse with the intention of cultivating a better understanding of the importance of freedom of speech on college campuses.
Tech AAUP President and English instructor Andy Smith organized and mediated the forum that consisted of three Tech faculty members and one student. The members were Director of the Counseling Center Dr. Cindy Webster, Interim Associate Dean and Professor of English Dr. Kurt Eisen, Associate Professor of Political Science Dr. Lori Maxwell and English-Communications senior and Assistant Editorial Editor of The Oracle Mackenzie Nellis.
An unspoken fear of embracing creativity in writing and self-expression within the classroom has been perpetuated by the fact that the Virginia Tech shooter, Seung-Hui Cho, was an English major, Smith said.
“We wouldn’t want those actions and deeds of others, particularly groups like the civil rights activists of the 1960s to be harmed by one,” Smith said. “Words have the power to harm, but they also possess the power to change, reveal and heal.”
Reports that Cho, who had been suffering from severe anxiety disorder, had stalked two female students and was declared mentally ill by a Virginia special justice led many people to argue that Virginia Tech faculty had ignored clear warning signs.
After the shootings, Tennessee Tech’s counseling center dealt with a sharp spike in calls from worried students and faculty that felt some individuals were a potential threat to their selves and others around them. Moreover, a few students even went as far as contacting the center in fear that they would be singled out because they were considered “loners.” Finding the most beneficial solution without singling people out has now become a new challenge for counselors everywhere, Webster said.
“Pre-Virginia Tech, a counseling center representative would not be a part of this panel,” Webster said. “Now I am concerned, as a mental health counselor that we might over respond.”
Universities have long functioned as an outlet for students to explore differing viewpoints and the endless possibilities of the human imagination, but as Eisen pointed out, there is also a fine line between respectful, free and expressive speech and harmful, destructive speech that students should keep in mind when sharing a space with others.
“Students should exercise freedom of speech with responsibility,” Eisen said, “and that (responsibility) is the word that lurks. We would like to think of a university as a safe place where we can explore dangerous ideas. We want graduates to be prepared for the dangerous ideas that wait outside of school.”
Encountering competing views and ideas is an everyday occurrence for most people. Dealing with our emotions and the emotions of others is a tricky subject that sometimes leads to confrontation. As Maxwell pointed out though, there are ways that teachers can promote productive debate and interaction when dealing with differing or conflicting ideologies, including seeking out the smallest of common grounds.
“We have to value what students say and contribute in open talks and debates,” Maxwell said.
Personal safety is often associated with a person’s well being, but as Maxwell noted, mere words can be just as threatening as weapons.
“We always need to be mindful as to what is not being said in class. I doubt very seriously that the white and west cultures are not being heard,” Maxwell said in regards to the idea that power in numbers weakens the voice of minorities. “Oppressing and offending others is not intellectual discussion.”
“There are affective ways to communicate with people in the world around us,” Eisen added. “Any fool can stand on a street corner and scream his head off, but who is going to listen to him?”
While the importance of being respectful and understanding of others should not be underestimated, progress is often the result of questioning the ideas of others.
“It is easy to do a lot of harm to freedom of expression and speech because of events like Virginia Tech,” Nellis said. “They promote fear and we step back a little, but we should question authority. Just because somebody has a Ph. D. doesn’t mean they know everything.”
The First Amendment guarantees every American his or her freedom of speech. Where would we be right now if not for the Civil Rights Movement that challenged the status quo of the generations before us?