WISCONSIN (WTAQ-WLUK) — A majority of college students do not feel comfortable expressing their political views inside the classroom. That figure is concerning to many students in the UW System.
“It’s really disheartening to hear that a lot of my colleagues feel disenfranchised in the classroom,” Wisconsin College Republicans Chair William Blathras said. “This should be an open place where people are free to discuss any ideas that they feel are important to them or just ideas they want to explore.”
Blathras said the survey results were striking. 74.9% who identified as very conservative said they wanted to express their views but felt uncomfortable doing so. That’s compared to 50.9% of very liberal students.
“I certainly have felt pressured and I’ve tried just realizing I’m in a leadership position to kind of be free to express myself in a respectful manner of course,” Blathras said. “But just getting ideas out there because ultimately when people are fearful to share their ideas, I think that just harms everyone.”
UW Oshkosh College Democrats co-chair Isabella Wishnie agrees there’s room to change.
“The lack of understanding of there being a spectrum of views,” Wishnie said. “People probably hear the word conservative or topics of abortion and they’re very closed minded.”
Wishnie said she might not agree with the arguments made by the other side, but that shouldn’t mean they can’t be said.
“I definitely highly value free speech especially in the democracy we have,” Wishnie said. “How can we say the people are in charge if we don’t value what they have to say? Even if you don’t agree with what people say, it might change your perspective.”
Even students in non-UW schools feel strongly about free speech on campuses statewide. Lawrence University student Rowan Tipping says it’s an invaluable aspect of the college experience.
“It really needs to be a cultural change or a student change, students need to be able to accept other opinions,” Tipping said. “You don’t have to agree with them but make other people feel like they can share them without being threatened.”
Over 10,000 students across all 13 UW schools took the survey…accounting for only 12.5% of those who received one.
