In the wake of last week’s protests and resignations at Claremont McKenna College (CMC), “safe spaces” for students of marginalized identities are popping up all over the campuses of the Claremont Colleges. After protestors called for action, CMC President Hiram Chodosh stated his commitment to providing a permanent safe space for students of color in the near future. Until then, the Associated Students of Claremont McKenna College (ASCMC) have dedicated part of their office as a safe space for these students.

Safe spaces for minority students have appeared on the campuses of other Claremont Colleges as well. Last week, the Motley Coffeehouse at Scripps College issued a statement on its official Facebook page, “The Motley sitting room will be open tonight from 6-10 only for people of color and allies that they invite. Please feel free to come and use the space for whatever you need – decompress, discuss, grieve, plan, support each other, etc. In solidarity.”

Additionally, a “Hurting and Healing” event, described as “a *for POC, by POC* art show,” is scheduled to take place at Pomona College on December 5. “This show’s intent is to create a space that is pro-POC, pro-black, and anti-white supremacist,” states the event’s website. “While you may want to invite a white friend or ally, to make this a safe and comfortable space for other POC, we ask that you do not.”

Further, the editorial board of The Student Life, an official, student government-funded newspaper, expressed solidarity with the recent movement and issued a statement explaining that the publication will create a space in its next issue for students of color who wish to write about their personal experiences. “We are tired of going to protests, seeing White allies snap and clap and shout only to move on the next day like nothing happened,” the editors write.

Nov. 14, 2015
Social media posts expressing dismay that the tragedy in Paris is diverting media attention from events at the University of Missouri are being made by individuals from outside the Mizzou community in an attempt to create conflict. Our hearts go out to the citizens of Paris and all those affected by the tragic events of last night. While our community has faced difficulties over the past week, we express our sincere sympathy to those who have been affected by the events in Paris and remain committed to making Mizzou stronger and more inclusive.

Yale's controversy tapped into a national debate on college culture

The "I don't want to debate" line spoke to a growing trend worrying some observers of higher education, and beyond just Yale: in the balance between sensitivity versus critical thinking and academic freedom, students are increasingly emphasizing the former over the latter.

On college campuses around the country, students, particularly students of color, are forcing white students and administrators to confront the pernicious effects of racial bias.

At the same time, students are demanding that colleges be more sensitive to their mental health and well-being. They're feeling empowered to make requests that professors sometimes feel interfere with their long-cherished right to research freely and to speak their mind in public.

The question facing campuses, then, is how to weigh those issues of sensitivity and mental health against sometimes-competing values of free speech and academic freedom.

Students have called for graduation speakers who have done things they consider offensive to be disinvited from commencement. Some have requested "trigger warnings" for material on syllabuses that could exacerbate mental health issues. At Northwestern University, a professor who wrote an essay about a dispute involving a professor accused of sexual assault ended up facing a Title IX complaint due to her comments about the students involved.

Even President Obama weighed in on the debate in September, criticizing college students who want to be "coddled." "Anybody who comes to speak to you and you disagree with, you should have an argument with ‘em," he said. "But you shouldn’t silence them by saying, 'You can’t come because I'm too sensitive to hear what you have to say.' That’s not the way we learn."

The debate over how colleges should weigh these requests is complicated by the contradictions at the heart of colleges' relationship with their students. College students are supposed to act like mature adults, but they're subject to the authority of administrators in a way that 18- and 19-year-olds not in college are not. As the price of college has risen, students are increasingly considered paying customers. At the same time, the goal of college is not simply to be happy and comfortable, but to be challenged and grow intellectually.

These are the tensions that Erika Christakis was trying to address in her e-mail. In it, she asked, "What does this debate about Halloween costumes say about our view of young adults, of their strength and judgment?" It's clear that the students in Sillman college want the university to take a more active role in their lives than some faculty would prefer.