A liberal University of Virginia student claims she and others were forced to self-censor in class to avoid backlash from peers.
On Monday, 22-year-old University of Virginia student Emma Camp wrote a guest essay for the New York Times describing the negative experiences she and other students have had because they disagree.
Camp urged the university to take action to prevent the suppression of free speech on campus.
“I went to college to learn from my professors and peers. I welcomed a milieu that advocates intellectual diversity and strong divisions. Instead, my student experience was defined by strict ideological conformity,” the college graduate wrote.
University of Virginia student Emma Camp (pictured) described the negative experiences she and other students had with the difference of opinion in an op-ed for the New York Times.
Camp urged the University of Virginia to take action to ensure free speech is not stifled on campus.
“Students of all political persuasions refrain — in class discussions, in friendly conversations, on social media — from saying what we really think. Even as a liberal who has participated in protests for abortion rights and written about the fight against racism, I am sometimes afraid to fully express my opinion, ”she added.
In her essay, Camp wrote that things got so bad that students simply stopped voicing their “unpopular” opinions for fear of getting lower grades if they didn’t censor themselves.
She mentioned an incident in her sophomore year when she said that non-Indian women might be critical of satti, the historical ritual suicide practice of Indian widows, which her classmates considered “unacceptable”.
“The room was tense. I saw people fidgeting in their seats. Someone got angry, and then everyone seemed to get angry,” she said about her experience, sharing her opinion. “After the professor tried to move the discussion, I still felt uncomfortable. I’ve become a little less likely to speak again and a little less trust in my thoughts.”
University of Virginia student Emma Camp wrote a guest essay for the New York Times describing the negative experiences she and other students had with having different opinions.
Camp (pictured) wrote that she hoped universities would stop canceling “controversial speakers” and giving in to “unreasonable student demands.”
She wrote that as more students faced similar backlash to their ideas, she noticed that fewer of her classmates were speaking up.
“In the end, our discussions turned into monotonous echo chambers. In the absence of vibrant discussions and rigor, we are mired in socially safe ideas,” she wrote.
Other students said they were made to feel “uncomfortable” and were less likely to participate in discussions after their negative experience, Camp said.
She noted that one Conservative fellow student named Steven Wicek said he sometimes “outright lied” about his beliefs to avoid conflict.
Camp wrote that she hoped universities would stop canceling “controversial speakers” and give in to “unreasonable student demands” and instead encourage intellectual diversity and non-conformist ideas in class discussions and abandon restrictive speech codes.
“Our universities cannot change our social interactions. But they can contribute to an understanding of ideological diversity in academia,” writes Camp.
“Universities need to do more than make public statements in support of free speech. We need a campus culture that prioritizes ideological diversity and strong policies that protect freedom of expression in the classroom.”
“We cannot experience the full benefits of a university education without questioning our ideas, but challenging them in a way that allows us to grow,” Camp added.
Camp has received mixed reactions on social media since her comment was posted, with some ironically criticizing the college student for speaking out.
“Congratulations for speaking up. You will get a lot of intellectually empty blue check objection. But this will once again prove your point,” wrote one of the supporters. Others were not so supportive.
“Uncomfortable or anxious when people disagree with you is not a sign of censorship,” wrote one person on Twitter. “And I don’t think a policy where professors have to hold your hand to make you feel more comfortable when people [sic] disagree with you going to change that.
“I’m sorry you went to college and felt uncomfortable. I dream of a world where no student will ever feel uncomfortable again,” another person wrote sarcastically.
Other people have accused the New York Times of giving it a platform to share their opinions.
“Who is to blame anyway?” Newspaper,” wrote one person. “No one should expect their college popularity to be an acceptable addition to the journalistic mill. In college, everyone says and does stupid things. This is the place for it! You grow up there. The newspaper should not benefit from this.”