The university experience creates a crucial time and opportunity for people to come together and learn each other’s perspectives, no matter how different. This can only be accomplished by all students and faculty being open-minded and willing to listen to each other. Unfortunately, this is seemingly not how university faculty and certain students have viewed this precious time we are fortunate enough to receive.

In today's university environment, as a student it is difficult not to have noticed a continual, seemingly purposeful effort by many professors, to single out any student that may have an opposing opinion or even a question about the Covid-19 mandates or restrictions and to berate them and their personal opinions in front of fellow classmates. Oftentimes professors will begin falsely associating the opinions or questions with general stereotypes and complete falsehoods.

Many university instructors seemingly have the perspective that this is a time to learn what is the right way to think in regard to specific political issues. Since so many people in popular culture deemed anyone who merely asked a question about the Covid-19 mandates a “right wing extremist” Covid-19 and the mandates pertaining to this virus unfortunately became politicized at the university level. It is worth noting that this issue is widespread and pervasive, applying to most all university departments and not just any single department.

In many cases, professors will begin the semesters by stating that they do not take sides when it comes to political ideologies, or at the very least, that they will not judge students for their beliefs. But then, not long after making such statements they begin to do just the opposite. In most cases students with opposing views to the popular and pervasive narrative surrounding the Covid-19 vaccines and masks, have had to and/or can expect to face repercussions for voicing their perspective. As a result, this has severely disrupted and hindered what should otherwise be a liberating and enjoyable exchange of ideas within the context and safety of a liberal education.

For many students who sought to exercise their freedom of speech or autonomy of body rights over these past two years, universities have responded with actions such as banning said students from campus grounds, from in person learning or from their access to education all together. Students who have had questions regarding the merit, ethics or legality of these mandates have tended to shy away from commenting or correcting their teachers and fellow classmates' popular misconceptions about the kind of people who dare oppose or question the popular narrative. Oftentimes it is as simple as asking about natural immunity, vaccine efficacy, or requesting to see the “science” upon which the school is basing its decisions that will get one labeled “right wing”, “conspiracy theorist”, or a “spreader of misinformation”. 

It should note that by asking questions or having an opinion that does not coincide with the popular narrative, it does not mean that you are anti-science, or pro-hate, and in fact in most cases it is just the opposite, but unfortunately this seems to be the majority of professors and teachers' opinions at the university level. Asking questions and feeling comfortable to state one’s opinions is in fact beneficial in order to facilitate meaningful discussion and debate at a university level and at a societal level as a whole. It is also always important to remember that unpopular speech is absolutely vital to the health of a nation. As university students and as members of a free and democratic society we must always exercise our freedom of speech no matter what obstacles are put in our way.

“Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom; and no such thing as public liberty, without freedom of speech”.  — Benjamin Franklin

Sheldon Munroe
SAM Member, Author