College boycotts ‘safe space’ culture

The University of Chicago has warned incoming students that it does not accept the culture of ‘‘safe spaces’’ and ‘‘trigger warnings’’ that has taken hold on many American college campuses.

US universities have struggled in recent years to balance students’ concerns with protecting free speech and intellectual freedom. There have been high-profile flare ups over which guest speakers should be allowed on campus and which topics should be discussed in classrooms.

President Barack Obama, a former law professor at the University of Chicago, weighed in earlier this year, urging students not to ‘‘shut folks out’’ just because you disagree with them.

John Ellison, the university’s dean of students, has now sent a letter to students outlining the college’s position.

‘‘Our commitment to academic freedom means that we do not support so-called ‘trigger warnings,’ we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and we do not condone the creation of intellectual ‘safe spaces’ where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own,’’ he wrote.

The letter was prompted by events at other universities, where protests have sprung up over guest speakers and even classwork assignments. When students at Brown University in Rhode Island heard that a debate on sexual assault would take place on campus, they demanded a meeting with administrators, and created a ‘‘safe space’’ equipped with calming music and Play-Doh for those who found the topic upsetting. A Daily Telegraph report found last year that some professors had been forced to add warnings before assigning literary classics in case a student was caught off guard by distressing content.