The Office of Diversity, the Educational Equity & Inclusion and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities teamed up to host “Is the university killing free speech?”

As Part of the Conversations that Matter series, the event was held on Oct. 4 in the Kellogg Library and started with a short video, called “Silence U: Is the University Killing Free Speech and Open Debate?” The short film by We the Internet talked about free speech across college campuses.

After the video, a panel composed of history Professor Anne Lombard, Chief of Staff at the Office of the President Matt Ceppi, Assistant Vice President of Student Engagement and Equity Bridget Blanshan and students Karen GuzmXn and Louis Admasel talked about how they felt about the film.

After the conversation began, the panel discussed how the First Amendment affects freedom of speech on college campuses. The first person to talk was former lawyer and current Professor of history Anne Lombard, who went over how the school had to follow the First Amendment by the law.

All panel members were asked how they defined freedom of speech and offensive speech. The panelists got a chance to speak and Karen GuzmXn gave a small presentation about a paper that students used to hand out called The Koala. GuzmXn discussed how that was offensive speech and something she believed should not be on campus.

After a few more responses Moderator Kimber Quinney, Assistant history Professor and Coordinator for the American Democracy Program, let the audience ask questions and contribute to the conversation.

Quinney said that the question mark in “Is the university killing free speech?” is vital, because “we aren’t suggesting that it is, just opening a dialogue.”

She also stated that it is an important topic because “there are dozens and dozens of universities around the country that are faced with this problem, when and how students feel safe to express their sentiments and to what extent that interferes with their exchange of ideas, which is what we do at universities.”

Quinney went on to say, regarding school involvement, that “there’s a thin line between freedom of expression or speech and not wanting to … keep our students safe from harm, which is what this conversation is about.”

If students are interested in going to the next Conversations that Matter event, it will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 20 on the third floor of the Kellogg Library.