On Tuesday, September 15 the PAFs and the PAT joined the hot topic discussion on “student coddling” to kick-off the monthly academic sessions as part of the PAF weekly meetings. The group reflected on the arguments presented by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt in The Atlantic article “The Coddling of the American Mind.” In this piece, the authors make use of statements from university professors that have come into contact with requests for trigger warnings, as well as student responses to micro-aggressions on campus, to showcase how this movement might be hindering the learning process.
Led by PAF Faculty Advisor Kathy Newcomer, PAFs reflected on their classroom experiences involving trigger warnings and encounters with micro-aggressions. The discussion highlighted the diversity of experience among the various members of the cohort. While there was variance among the opinions, it was clear that a common theme among PAFs was the high value placed on preserving the integrity and freedom of academia. The conversation not only served as a forum to talk about issues in higher education, but also a learning opportunity for how we as students can help maintain the high quality education offered by colleges while creating a safe environments.
The vibrant intellectual dialogue that this topic launched was a great start to the PAF academic agenda and we look forward to seeing what else the Academic Committee has in store for this year!