While some students at Florida Atlantic University have been open to discussing their political views on campus, others express fear or hesitancy about voicing them. This issue is not only present at FAU, but nationwide on many college and university campuses.
In the fall, the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and FAU’s participation in the 287(g) agreement intensified political conversations on campus.
As political organizations at FAU share their opinions on events like these, students differ in how comfortable they feel engaging with them, with some open to discussion and others hesitant because they fear being judged by their peers.
“I do feel like I’m gonna get judged and not understood because I think my opinions are minority based, so not a lot of people are gonna agree with me,” said freshman Maria Kiryanova.
Groups like the College Democrats and College Republicans both table on the Breezeway to share their political views and open discussion with their peers, but this can also create more fear or hesitancy in students to share their opinions.
“Both faculty and students are much more chilled in their willingness to speak as candidly and openly, and they would have been 10 years ago,” said Geoffrey Stone, a University of Chicago law professor and renowned First Amendment scholar, who is a leading expert on campus free speech. “The primary reason for this is not so much that the institution will punish them, although to some degree, they might. It’s much more the fact that what they say now gets spread to a much larger audience.”
The hesitation to speak openly continues to grow across all campuses, and at FAU, it also occurs on the Breezeway.
The Boca Raton campus Breezeway serves as a walkway connecting the food court, library, recreational center, and various educational buildings. It is also a place for students to socialize, making it an ideal place for student clubs and organizations to reach their peers through tabling. Having political groups in the breezeway each day plays a major role in how comfortable students feel voicing their political views.
“Yes, many students are hesitant to approach our table. I’ve spoken to countless students one-on-one who feel strongly about politics, but are afraid to be seen in public supporting us. This is a bad sign for free speech on campus,” said Nicholas Ostheimer, president of FAU’s College Democrats.
When asked if there is a solution to the problem that Ostheimer mentioned, FAU College Republicans President Joseph Semprevivo II said, “We do plan on doing more. Right now, funding is our issue. We don’t have anything currently, so it is difficult to fuel events that I think would help the student body.”
The University Press reached out to Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a conservative nonprofit organization that advocates on high school and college campuses, but received no response.
The hesitance among students to approach one of the tables and speak about their political views isn’t limited to any one political organization. Although some students may feel comfortable speaking about politics in public settings, others may feel pressured or uncomfortable, especially when speaking to opposing viewpoints.
According to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), more than half of students (54%) have agreed that they have stopped themselves from expressing an idea or opinion in class, while almost one-third (29%) have self-censored on campus outside of class.
William Trapani, Faculty Senate President and professor at FAU, whose research focuses on rhetorical theory, political communication, and cultural studies, explained that the feelings these students are experiencing are not uncommon in today’s political climate.
“There’s always anxiety when we feel assessed or judged, and it’s no different when it comes to our political views. And, unfortunately, politics in general has become much more rancorous in recent decades, especially due to social media as a result of social media use. Using X or some other media platform can often feel like entering a combat zone,” said Trapani.
FIRE’s research also shows that 46% of students at Florida universities and colleges say they self-censor on campus “at least once or twice a month.”
Some students believe that there is hesitation to speak about their political views, leading to self-censorship on campus. Freshman Amanda Lima agrees with that feeling of hesitation.
“I think they [political organizations] make it more hesitant to speak. I think those types of clubs, if you’re with like-minded people, like your like-minded political view, then it’s more open to discussion, but if you can’t take an opinion and you can’t take a political opposition, then no,” said Lima.
On the other hand, students like Freshman Chris Rowe, “They’re not something I really care about that much because, at least for me, I just stay out of it. That stuff just gets really chaotic, and I think it’s pretty controversial.”
Another student explained how she is frequently approached by the political organizations on campus, but said she doesn’t want to be a part of or associated with these groups. “… I don’t know if I want to talk to any of them because I have my own personal opinions that don’t align with all of them, or really any of them,” said freshman Lina Paige, majoring in interdisciplinary studies.
Graham Piro, who is currently focusing on defending faculty academic freedom rights as FIRE’s Faculty Legal Defense Fund Fellow, explained how politics can create tensions, but emphasized the importance of remembering that students have freedom of speech.
“Political discussions can get quite heated and can stir up strong emotions. But that’s one of the values of speech. Our speech can provoke people to action, it can inspire people. It can make people feel a little uneasy or in a tense situation, but our perspective is always that more speech is better than none,” said Piro
Although students express many concerns, Semprevivo said that his relationship with Ostheimer is more collaborative than many may assume.
“We look at each other as allies rather than enemies because in reality, we both try to share the same mission, which is to foster intelligence and understanding of the student body,” said Semprevivo. He added that both sides agreed the bigger issue is “ignorance,” and that they simply just want to make sure students know what they are talking about.
“I don’t care if they vote Republican or Democrat or anywhere on the spectrum as long as they know what they’re talking about and why they say that,” said Semprevivo.
Semprevivo addressed ignorance as the main issue, while Stone says that social media has played a key role as well.
“I think this is a phenomenon that has gotten much worse in the last decade than it was before,” said Stone.
“Now, however, with social media, the ability of an individual to make widely public what someone else says that they disapprove of is far different than it’s ever been before. And that has created a real showing effect on the willingness of students and even faculty members to be as open-minded in speaking as they have in the past,” said Stone.
Molly O’Flynn is the Copy Desk Chief for the University Press. Email her at [email protected] or contact her on Instagram @molly_oflynn_ for information regarding this or other stories.
This story is in the UP’s latest print issue, Vol. 34, “Freedom of Speech,” which can be found in the distribution bins around the Boca Raton and Jupiter campuses or in the Student Union, Room 214.
