Opinion | Universities should let students speak

"NYU's efforts to control the narrative at its graduation ceremonies come after one of its students, Logan Rozos, used last year's graduation stage to condemn U.S. involvement in Israel's war in Gaza, which the student labeled a genocide. The university has since announced that graduation speeches will now be pre-recorded and screened to prevent a recurrence."

"After St. John's student government denied official club status to a Turning Point USA chapter earlier this school year, St. John's received national backlash. That kind of attention can backfire on an institution and bring much more institutional scrutiny than a student's graduation speech gone rogue."

"The Virginia legislature's plan to ban certain classroom discussions about Jan. 6, 2021, is shortsighted. Rather than restricting ideas, Virginia should teach students how to critically evaluate them. Students could learn far more by examining examples and drawing their own conclusions on whether an event is peaceful."

NYU implemented pre-recorded and screened graduation speeches after a student condemned U.S. involvement in Gaza, exemplifying problematic university approaches to student speech control. Similar restrictions occur elsewhere, including St. John's University's denial of club status to Turning Point USA, which generated national backlash and institutional scrutiny. Universities attempting to control political narratives risk damaging their reputations more severely than allowing controversial student expression. Rather than restricting speech, institutions should foster diverse opinions and critical thinking. Virginia's proposed ban on classroom discussions about January 6 similarly demonstrates shortsighted approaches to education, as students benefit more from examining evidence and drawing independent conclusions than from restricted curricula.

Read at The Washington Post