College students should stop fearing competing viewpoints

Students and universities must stop closing themselves off to alternative political opinions.

For a democracy to fully function, we need ideas to flow from all sides — not from whatever side makes you comfortable.

As a resident of New York from a predominantly liberal neighborhood, coming to college was like flipping politics on its head. Stony Brook University is a spot of liberalism in a sea of conservatism — the campus overwhelming voted for Hillary Clinton, while the surrounding precincts were predominantly for Donald Trump. There is no mention of Republicans on campus without a snicker. Even discussions of social conservatism are met with dissmissive putdowns, rather than constructive engagement.

The lack of constructive debate stems from a social atmosphere that encourages closing yourself off, rather than listening to someone else’s beliefs. Students will routinely make fun of the issues within the Republican party, but seem to ignore the concerns with the Democratic party. But this is a bipartisan issue.

Last year, a student I worked with on a semester-long project confided that he was voting for Trump, but said he wasn’t going to tell anyone because of the immense political hatred toward conservatism by many of the other students at the Journalism School I attend.

As a soon to be college graduate, I hope predominantly liberal universities aren’t afraid to invite members of the Republican Party to give commencement addresses. I want these universities to promote the ideal college environment — a place where students can go to exchange ideas and beliefs, and to learn from each other. Unfortunately, it’s a lose-lose scenario for both the universities and the legislators, as both would face attacks for the move.

Even now, President Trump is set to give a commencement address at Liberty University in May. The decision has been met with waves of criticism and praise, seemingly split based on — you guessed it — policial affiliation. Liberty is a evengelical Christian university headed by Jerry Falwell Jr., a staunch Trump supporter who was chosen to head the White House’s higher education task force.

The real trouble is that labels can define and dictate your social standing, which just reinforces the political divide currently overwhelming our country. If you consider yourself a moderate, you could be attacked by both Democrats and Republicans for being indecisive. If you are part of a socially conservative group, you could be attacked for being a memeber of the ‘alt-right.’ A young liberal? You may take the form of a snowflake — which is hands down the weirdest label to give someone.

Colleges are supposed to be the go-to place for open debate, not for just assigning a label. Students should gather with professors and faculty to openly discuss the problems the world is facing. In the past, such open college discussions led to protests against the war in Vietnam, or debates about the war on drugs. There were protests about women’s rights, civil rights and human rights across the world. But what do we see today? Students at Notre Dame petitioning and protesting to stop President Trump from being even invited to speak at commencement. Isn’t limiting your mind as regressive as these protesters claim Trump to be?

Political discussion and ideological evolution is what this country needs. In a time where everything is appearing black and white, and it’s either Democrat or Republican no matter what, college campuses should be where students go to grow intellectually. The back-and-forth of political ideology is a gateway for students in college — don’t destroy that. Students need to be prepared to leave their universities with an expanded mindset, rather than an affirmation that only they could be correct in their political views.

It’s time to re-invite real political discussion into higher education. If we are closed off and resistant to that, then we have already decided that political free speech is a pipe dream not worth fighting for.

Jager Robinson is a Newsday Opinion intern.