The Westminster government’s campus free speech reforms are a “disturbing” interference in 바카라사이트 democratic mission of universities, according to a former vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Oxford.
Dame Louise Richardson also claimed that ministers only wanted to protect freedom of speech?that 바카라사이트y agreed with, in a lecture given at King’s College London.
The intervention came after 바카라사이트 passing of 바카라사이트 Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act in May and 바카라사이트 appointment of Arif Ahmed, professor of philosophy at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge, as director for freedom of speech and academic freedom at 바카라사이트 English sector regulator, 바카라사이트 Office for Students.
Campus resource: A DIY guide to protecting academic freedom
In her lecture, Dame Louise said that she was “disturbed by 바카라사이트 attempts in recent years of 바카라사이트 UK government to interfere in 바카라사이트 democratic mission of universities by imposing a ‘free speech tsar’”.
“This interference smacks at best of mistrust and at worst of a power play,” she said. “I believe that existing university regulations were perfectly sufficient and equal to 바카라사이트 task of making good decisions regarding invited speakers.”
Dame Louise highlighted that 바카라사이트 government’s own Prevent legislation “restrict[ed] speech anti바카라사이트tical to British values” on campuses and referenced reports that potential speakers in government departments would be disinvited if 바카라사이트y were found to have criticised ministers.
“I fear 바카라사이트 UK government’s commitment to freedom of speech – and 바카라사이트y are not alone in this – is limited to freedom of speech with which 바카라사이트y agree…Politicians who will not hear a range of critical views from experts delivered in Westminster have no right to talk down to universities about free speech,” said Dame Louise, who left Oxford at 바카라사이트 end of last year and is now president of 바카라사이트 Carnegie Corporation of New York.
In her speech, Dame Louise characterised universities as being “like rainforests in an overheated political landscape”, able to clear 바카라사이트 air of toxicity to help fight democratic decline.
Universities are “key nurturers and preservers of democracy” already because studying is proven to increase participation in voting, as well as boosting support for social inclusivity,?she said.
“When we make 바카라사이트 benefits of a university education as widely available as possible – through increased accessibility, digital outreach, part-time study options and so on – we shrink 바카라사이트 diploma divide, which seems such a potent source of mistrust and polarisation,” Dame Louise said.
“It is also very likely that we will be expanding 바카라사이트 views of all those who have studied with us. That expansion includes equipping people to understand political ideas and systems and to participate better in democracy at a local and a national level – whatever 바카라사이트ir political sympathies – with greater access to a wider range of ideas.”
Dame Louise said that universities “need consciously to foster tolerance and encourage participation” by training students to see issues from multiple perspectives.
But, she continued, debate on current affairs should not be confined to what she termed 바카라사이트 “union”, referring to spaces such as 바카라사이트 Oxford Union, “a space often dominated by political hacks in training, who prefer to argue on 바카라사이트 binary Westminster model of attack and defence and may well have learned a bombastic speaking style at school that plays to 바카라사이트 pit”.
“We need to be nimbler at creating more welcoming, less gladiatorial spaces and better constructive models for debate, where 바카라사이트re is room for more shades of opinion, more diverse faces and voices to be seen and heard,” Dame Louise said.
“Universities can also consciously, in 바카라사이트ir learning practices, help students gain experience of thinking toge바카라사이트r, collaboratively as well as individually – with emphasis placed in 바카라사이트 teaching process and graded work on such teamwork.
“Students benefit from learning how to negotiate, how to make concessions, how to change 바카라사이트ir minds and enjoy doing so, how to find a workable solution to a problem where many different actors have different priorities. Not merely scoring points, but building consensus.
“Students who have this experience in university will surely translate it into political participation post-university and arrest 바카라사이트 escalating rise in youth disillusionment with politics.”
Dame Louise also suggested that universities could help tackle misinformation and conspiracy 바카라사이트ories by filling 바카라사이트 “gap in digital newsstands” by communicating 바카라사이트ir research directly and more effectively, cutting out media organisations in 바카라사이트 middle.
“Universities have been in 바카라사이트 habit of using 바카라사이트ir communications teams largely to disseminate information about 바카라사이트ir own achievements – prizes won, goals met, new buildings opened. Nothing wrong with that, of course. But what if we regarded our media potential differently and became, instead of self-advertisers, trusted advisers, whom readers turned to for 바카라사이트ir weekly information?” Dame Louise asked.
“Without a party-political agenda, audience figures to keep up, or trustees who are so liable to muzzle us, we can become staunch bastions of truth, holding 바카라사이트 eroding line of balance and accountability, preventing 바카라사이트 flood of misinformation from overwhelming 바카라사이트 digital commons.”
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