‘Trigger Warnings’ and ‘Safe Spaces’: A Response to UChicago
By: Val Bauer In August, incoming freshmen at the University of Chicago received a controversial letter from Dean of Students Jay Ellison, in which ‘trigger warnings’ and ‘safe spaces’ were disregarded as an excuse for “individuals retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own.” The letter, published online by Intellectual Takeout, cites UChicago’s “commitment to freedom of inquiry and expression” as a defining characteristic of their academic setting, Ellison said. “Members of community are encouraged to speak, write, listen, challenge and learn, without fear of censorship.” Trigger...

