UC prez calls for free speech across all her campuses

Janet Napolitano, President of the University of California system, is calling for free speech on all UC campuses.

Napolitano published an article on the Boston Globe this morning claiming that we have been “far removed from freedom of speech” and that freedom of speech is no longer guaranteed in the United States, especially on college campuses.

Napolitano’s strongest claim in her article is:

“If it hurts, if it’s controversial, if it articulates an extreme point of view, then speech has become the new bete noir of the academy. Speakers are disinvited, faculty are vilified, and administrators like me are constantly asked to intervene”.

The driving force of Napolitano’s statement may be the controversy over Milo Yiannopoulos “Dangerous Faggot” tour that kicked off earlier this year. There were incidents at campuses nationwide and at three UC campuses including UCLA, UC Santa Barbara , UC Irvine in early June.

At UC Irvine, the College Republicans of UCI and UC Irvine Young Americans for Liberty hosted Milo’s appearance. Weeks before his arrival, signs appeared on campus saying “If you can take a dick, you can take a joke”. The day of his appearance, there was a large police presence and pacifiers saying “I survived the Milo tour 2016” were being handed out to protesters. Protesters chanted “Free Palastine” and “love Trumps hate” while supporters fired back with “Trump, Trump, Trump”.

Milo’s supporters on campus

Since his visit, the College Republicans of UCI were suspended for 1 year, then unsuspended, Milo was banned from Twitter, and now he might return to speak at UCI a second time.

At UCLA protesters stormed his speech and had to be held back by campus police. At UCSB, he was carried in on a throne by men decked out in Trump gear.

There have also been many other protests on UC campuses  that have led Napolitano to come out with this statement. Including the anti-Israeli protest that took place at UC Irvine in May.

Napolitano echoes the uneasiness surrounding protests like these in her article and says “difficulties arise” when controversial speakers appear. She claims that if you are a believer in free speech, then attempting to push speakers out or prevent them from speaking at all goes against the very foundation of free speech.

Janet Napolitano has come out with this statement in the wake of a tense time in American history. For the first time in United States history, we have two presidential candidates that are highly unfavorable and whose supporters believe the other is the antichrist. Students have become incredibly passionate about expressing their opinions, especially those pertaining to politics. At this moment in time it is more important than ever for students to voice their opinions, to feel that they have some type of control over what happens to the great country in which they live.

Napolitano wants students to have their voices heard and their opinions expressed in a supportive environment. She quotes Thomas Jefferson on the founding of The University of Virginia, “This institution will be based on the illimitable freedom of the human mind. For here we are not afraid to follow the truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left to combat it.”

However, Napolitano reminds us that not all speech is permissible on campus. She strongly supports the First Amendment, but rebukes any speech that falls outside of it and aims to intimidate or harass others.

Earlier this year, UChicago controversially said that they would not be supporting any safe spaces on campus in the interest of free speech.

Napolitano ends by saying that she believes the goal of universities should be to produce “critical and creative thinkers” who are “thoughtful, well informed, and resilient”. She wishes for every student to feel comfortable freely expressing their thoughts and bringing forth different perspectives.

“I prefer a campus that is loud to one that is quiet.”

Well done Ms Napolitano.