Hi, my name is Isadore Johnson and I am working to get the Chicago Statement signed at UConn. I put up a Change.org petition several days ago, and noticed that more than 100 people related to UConn alone have been willing to sign onto a free speech statement.
College Pulse, put out a survey looking at 20,000 students at 55 US colleges about their experiences related to free speech on campus. This was sponsored by RealClearEducation and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. The results were uncomfortable, and suggest a cultural shift might need to happen.
"While 57 percent of students say their college would defend a speaker's right to express his or her views in the case of controversy over 'offensive expression... 42 percent believe their college would punish the speaker for making the statement."
While UConn was not surveyed, this bodes poorly for educational institutions nationwide, and there should be serious consideration over what to do about this problem.
While culture takes time to change, one step we can take in the right direction would be to sponsor the Chicago Statement, and the legislation accompanying it in the Undergraduate Student Government.
Many of the institutions that have codified the Chicago Statement are considered to be among the best overall colleges for freedom of speech ranked by both liberals, and conservatives. If you'd be interested in learning more, and potentially sponsoring this bill, alongside other faculty, reach out. My email is isadore.johnson@uconn.edu, and I'd love to chat.
https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/campus-survey-42-percent-of-students-say-their-college-doesnt-empower-free-speech/article_d0d1ed64-fda3-11ea-b1ec-5beac494a2a2.html
For more information, contact: Isadore Johnson at isadore.johnson@uconn.edu