Politics seems to be an issue that stalks every moment on campus, whether you are a professor or a student. 

In our current political climate, college campuses are a center for political action and discussion and often are the location for events that receive national attention. In the last decade political protests and the refusal to hear other points of view has become a common pattern on campuses nationwide. 

One way this is evident is when guest speakers’ events are cancelled. The famous “Milo protest” which took place at UC-Berkeley in 2017, not only cancelled the speaker but caused $100,000 in damage and left several injured.

Similar protests have occurred at Yale, Claremont McKenna, and Evergreen in reaction to professors’ and administrators’ emails about sensitive topics. In some of these cases, the offense was as small as a word choice.

Many protesters claim that inviting such voices on campus would cause students to feel unsafe, or they say that opinions by dissident speakers are equivalent to physical violence. 

UW-Eau Claire recently had an incident motivated by political tensions when English Chair and professor José Alvergue flipped the College Republicans’ table on election day, April 1.

Although the table flip was much milder than protests like those at UC-Berkeley, the fact that the chair of a department took such an impulsive action against students shows a definite lack of professionalism.

It reflects an intolerance of diverse viewpoints, and it’s disheartening to think that someone who teaches classes would be unwilling to talk to students who disagree with him in a civil dialogue. 

Incidents like this reveal just how epidemic this issue of polarization has become. 

A study from the Pew Research Center shows how political polarization has been growing since 1994, and how less and less people report a moderate view of politics, instead favoring the views within party lines.

Animosity between parties has also increased, as well as stress and anger. In a 2023 report, Pew found that the people who were most politically involved were also the most exhausted and angry. 

I suspect a lot of the polarization is also stoked by isolation and social media, where people often say what they wouldn’t in person, and can get information from quick headlines. 

On social media, people are quick to start group pile-ons against someone they think has committed a moral failing, while others like to ‘trigger’ people they see as easily offended.

Communicating on social media instead of in a discussion in real life hampers social cohesion and a sense of safety in the community. Social media also enforces cognitive biases about people who may have different opinions.

College campuses have long been an ideal place to engage in discussion with diverse groups of people and be presented with new theories and types of thinking that students may not have encountered if they had not gone to college. 

Unfortunately, trends in political beliefs among professors may mean that students are not presented with as much ideological diversity as they once were. 

In their book “The Coddling of the American Mind”, Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt assert that while college professors have always leaned more liberal, the percentage of liberal to moderate or conservative professors has drastically increased.

In 1996, the ratio of left-to-right leaning professors was 2:1, but in 2014, it had increased to 5:1. Various higher numbers have been reported today, and these numbers vary by college, but the general trend stays true. 

Add to this the fact that a majority of students are afraid to speak their own opinion, and discussion and friendly disagreement becomes much more difficult. A 2022 survey of UW system schools found that 57% of students stayed silent when they wanted to share their thoughts on a controversial topic in class. 

Many college students report they feel like they are “walking on eggshells.” This isn’t conducive to learning or to mental well-being. 

I don’t think this should be the norm for college campuses and we should work together instead to challenge ourselves to have uncomfortable discussions and open up to new viewpoints.

For those interested in engaging in civil debate, we have many good resources on campus and I would encourage anyone to participate in these events. 

The Menard Center and Bridging the Divide are two non-partisan school-run groups that host discussions, speakers, workshops and more.

These organizations provide a space for in-person discussion. A conversation can heal many conflicts or it can use conflicts to enhance intellectual reasoning. 

Either way, fostering a campus that encourages healthy debate would not only be beneficial for students but also hopefully mean less incidents like we had on April 1. 

Sonnek can be reached at [email protected]