American University Students Demand Trigger Warnings Over Faculty Objections

Student government leaders at American University are demanding that trigger warnings be added to all course syllabi over the objections of faculty.

President of the student government at the D.C. university Devontae Torriente released a YouTube video laying out their position. “The fact of the matter is, trigger warnings are necessary in order to make our academic spaces accessible to all students, especially those who have experienced trauma,” he argued. AU students have tweeted their support for the measure under the #LetUsLearn.

The students’ stance stands in stark contrast to that of the Faculty Senate, expressed in a resolution passed last fall. “American University is committed to protecting and championing the right to freely communicate ideas—without censorship—and to study material as it is written, produced, or stated, even material that some members of our community may find disturbing or that provokes uncomfortable feelings. This freedom is an integral part of the learning experience and an obligation from which we cannot shrink,” they wrote.

In its statement, the faculty said they didn’t object to their peers warning their students ahead of potentially disturbing discussions. “However, the Faculty Senate does not endorse offering ‘trigger warnings’ or otherwise labeling controversial material in such a way that students construe it as an option to ‘opt out’ of engaging with texts or concepts, or otherwise not participating in intellectual inquiries,” they argue.

[Image via screengrab]

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