A few things

I hope all of you are having a most excellent Thanksgiving break thus far! Brian and I are using it as our first break from the newspaper since April, so the next and final issue of the semester will hit stands around campus on December 6th.

The free speech forums happened Monday and Tuesday, and if another happens before years' end, I would suggest that you check one of them out.

Monday, we had administrators, professors and students alike discussing the ideas of free speech, which until recently, had not been a problem plaguing campus clubs and activities. Among the topics covered, one that stood out was the definition of free speech, what that entails and the ramifications of free speech. It helped me understand why people are actively throwing away newspapers and tearing down club flyers.

One topic that struck a chord with those in attendance is that we need to foster an enviroinment where students are free to speak their minds and aren't resorting to subversive tactics like vandalism. The ideas of self-censorship came up from both students and professors; it's a pretty sad fact, but students on all sides of the political spectrum are censoring themselves in classroom discussions.

This fear, it seems, is born out of the fact that our knowledge of civil discourse and debate stems from shows like Crossfire. I think, what we all need to realize, is that it is in fact okay to disagree and that debates or discussions don't need to solve the crux of the issue in a half hour. I definitely get heated sometimes while discussing politics, but it's not like any of us HAVE TO resort to the "SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP" tactics we learn from TV "pundits"; they're debating the issues to garner ratings, not to solve the world's problems.

I think it's entirely possible to debate the issues civilly, and who knows? Maybe a lot of the political tension stemmed from the elections, and that boiled over into debates on campus. No matter --- let's push things forward. How can we do that? A few of my ideas:

Don't be afraid to speak your mind. Liberal, conversative, moderate ... whatever. Don't even apply those labels to yourself or your fellow students; speak up with whatever's on your mind, and keep it tied to the issues. If things get out of hand, your professor (if in a classroom discussion, where a lot of the self-censoring seems to take place) should take the reins and bring it back to the topic at hand.

Don't censor yourself here, at home, anywhere. Write us letters, leave comments on the blog, take part in discussions ... the only way to make your voice heard is to speak your mind every once in awhile; even if your opinion isn't popular, it's your right to have it, and you shouldn't be shamed into staying out of classroom discussions for feeling the way you do.

Life isn't Crossfire. Don't make it out to be. Leave the personal attacks at the door, because that's the only way your opinion will get through to anyone; not only that, but discussions will be better as a result. That's largely why so many aren't speaking up in discussions and debates; if they feel safe enough to speak their mind openly, discussions will be all the better and helpful for everyone.

This might seem elementary and pointless, but I think the free speech forums really did have a lot of value for those on campus and abroad. Thanks to Dr. Mark Stephan PhD. for coordinating and moderating the forums. They were worthwhile, and I hope we can hold more discussions in the future. Thanks to the students, administration and faculty members that found time to attend and speak their mind.

Our campus is on the brink of become a full-fledged four year university. We're only going to continue growing, and with more students comes more opinions. If we can figure out how to make this campus a "safe zone" for all students with their own opinions, no matter how extreme they may be, we will have accomplished a lot. Right now, the campus isn't at that point yet, but I genuinely believe we can get there. It won't happen overnight, and I will likely be gone by the time it happens, but there's no better time to address the problem and work toward a solution.