Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 2

President's Page

Free Speech
and Inclusiveness:

Vassar Values

2

SPrINg 2018

last time you changed your mind about something important, and how that felt? It can be
unsettling and thrilling. In our community,
students do this regularly as they uncover their
own values and capabilities, and then harness
them in pursuit of their goals. What's more,
most college students go through this learning
process as they move from adolescence to young
adulthood, with their academic learning taking
place against a backdrop of intense personal
growth. As an educator at Vassar, I have the
privilege of witnessing this in big and small
ways every day-and I hope to help serve as a
guide through this sometimes exhausting, always
exhilarating process.
In the end, freedom of speech and an inclusive
community are not values in opposition; rather,
neither value can be honored without the other. At Vassar, our
continued investment in and protection of both values-free speech
and inclusive community-is paramount to sustaining a strong
learning environment. Only in a community that honors the rights
of all of its participants' freedoms can speech be truly free. And only
among people who grant each other the full freedom to speak can we
do the hard work of communicating that is central to any voluntary
community. Remove the freedom to speak freely and one cannot
discover, come to value, and wrestle with all the diverse points of
view and backgrounds that people bring to the table. Remove prior
commitment to finding common ground and an appreciation for
our diversity, and some will feel as if they cannot speak freely.
Certainly, freedom to explore and express ideas is essential to
college campuses. Continually seeking to protect free speech and
promote inclusive community wherein minority views are expressed,
engaged, and valued is the work of transformative institutions such
as Vassar.
Elizabeth Bradley
President

John Abbott

F

ree speech is a hotly debated topic
right now, and pundits are cautioning
that progressive college campuses are
constraining free speech, potentially
shutting down opposing ideas and policing
language.
At Vassar, we remain firmly committed to
free speech. As our faculty handbook makes
clear, "Vassar College is dedicated to freedom
of inquiry in the pursuit of truth, and is vigilant
in defending the right of individuals to free
speech." The college's Governance similarly
asserts, "All teachers in the service of the college
are entitled to complete liberty of research, of
instruction, and of utterance upon matters of
opinion," and "Students are entitled to freedom
of discussion, inquiry, and expression in and
outside of classes, of association and of publication."
Just this year, students have invited speakers who challenge the
status quo from any number of perspectives, and we as an institution
have defended their right to speak and students' desire to listen to a
range of topics. In the face of controversial events, we have prepared
and worked collaboratively as a community to protect the right to
peaceful protest, prevent physical violence, and guard the safety of all.
Nevertheless, I suggest that the principle of free speech is necessary
but not sufficient for achieving Vassar's mission of inspiring students
to lead meaningful lives and contribute positively to society. Maximum
learning also requires an inclusive community where each student
can join the conversation on equal footing, regardless of race, religion,
creed, sexual and gender identity, or political opinion. Indeed, college
campuses remain one of the few institutions where we can and should
actively avoid what John Adams called the "tyranny of the majority."
Ours is a place where students and professors alike can indulge
unorthodox ideas, learn to think in new and creative ways-and
even, possibly, change their mind.
This kind of learning is messy. Along the way, there can be
missteps, embarrassments, and discomforts. Do you remember the



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018

Contents
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - Cover1
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - Cover2
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - Contents
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 2
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