Let's Rethink College Orientation
In an era where the very foundations of free speech and intellectual inquiry on campus are facing unprecedented challenges, the importance of reimagining how we onboard students into college cannot be overstated.
These first steps into university life can set the tone for a student’s entire academic journey, making it imperative that faculty and campus administrators seize this critical moment to foster a deep understanding of the university’s mission and the importance of a culture of open discourse and thoughtful debate. By reshaping orientation and onboarding programs to prioritize these values, we not only prepare students for the rigors of academia, but also equip them to navigate and thrive as responsible citizens in an ever-evolving world. Exiting another orientation season presents universities across the nation with an opportunity to reassess how to prepare an incoming class for the unique and extraordinary campus environment.
This is fundamentally culture and community work. What’s needed are concerted efforts to bring to life the mission and values of a university and to begin that work from the start.
At a time when polarizing ideologies are threatening to erode the fabric of intellectual exploration and open discourse, universities have a responsibility to actively cultivate an environment where differing perspectives are not only tolerated but encouraged and where students understand why this is important. College orientation, traditionally a period of icebreakers and campus tours, should evolve into a platform that ignites a passion for critical thinking, exposes students to diverse viewpoints, and models civil discourse on complex and challenging topics.
Why is this work particularly urgent now? Our campuses are witnessing an unsettling erosion of the principles that underpin higher education. Disinvitations of speakers, ideological echo chambers, and a growing intolerance for dissenting viewpoints are casting a shadow on the once-lionized role of universities as engines of knowledge and truth-seeking. Faculty worry about teaching controversial topics, and students are inhibited about speaking, because they don’t want to say the “wrong” thing and face social backlash from peers. In this climate, orientation programs take on a newfound significance as they offer an opportunity to align the student community around the core purpose of the university and introduce them to rigorous intellectual engagement, discourse, and exploration.
A 2022 Knight Foundation survey of attitudes on free speech indicated deep concerns by students about the ability to speak freely without adverse repercussions. Fewer than half of the students questioned in 2021 said their campus free speech rights are secure, down from 73% in 2016. Given recent highly publicized incidents on campuses across the nation, there is no reason to believe the trend has been reversed. The onus is on us, campus administrators, and faculty, to provide an atmosphere for the free exchange of ideas.
Where to start? First, universities should orient students to our foundational mission: the pursuit of truth and the expansion of knowledge. This is not easy. The “pursuit of truth” feels abstract and far off. But orientations can offer vehicles and programs to bring that core purpose to life. In this way, free speech and academic freedom aren’t promoted and defended solely on their own terms. We need to lift up the broader goals they serve, empowering diverse perspectives and nurturing the evolution of ideas, which are the means by which knowledge is tested, strengthened, and redefined.
There’s community-building in these efforts too. We can help students understand that, even amidst fervent disagreements, the pursuit of understanding and knowledge is their unifying purpose. This shared endeavor doesn’t demand unanimous agreement. On the contrary, it thrives on varied perspectives and robust discussions. But we should remind our students early and often that the shared pursuit of understanding is sacred common ground that binds them together as a community and transcends their differences.
Colleges and universities should also take the opportunity at orientation to directly address the misconception that free speech and the values of diversity and inclusion are inherently contradictory. In reality, while not without moments of tension, they are fundamentally interdependent. Historically, universities’ pursuit of truth and understanding was constrained by their practice of excluding whole swaths of people from their mission and work. At the same time, limiting the scope of inquiry and conversation limits the knowledge and understanding our institutions can achieve. By fostering an environment where respectful discourse flourishes, schools can underscore that genuine inclusivity embraces diverse perspectives while simultaneously upholding principles of open dialogue and free expression.
Finally, as a lawyer, I deeply appreciate the discourse of “rights” in the context of free speech and other civil liberties. But over-emphasizing (or only emphasizing) campus free speech as an individual right obscures the communal, civic role of campus free speech. We should help our students understand that free speech on campus is meant to engage and intertwine diverging voices in pursuit of a shared mission. In his book The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens, Richard Haass calls on our society to place obligations – to one another and to society – on more equal footing with rights. Conceiving campus speech in this light, we should help students understand that they have not only a right to share their views, but also obligations to engage in effective communication, actively listen to others, and work across differences to learn from differing views.
The essence – and the success – of campus free speech lies less in isolated declarations, and more in the collective symphony of ideas converging to forge a richer understanding of our complex world.
Laying out and modeling these understandings from the outset equips students to embark on their academic journey with a clear recognition that their individual contributions are part of a collective pursuit. With hope, succeeding in these efforts on campus carries the potential to elevate our society’s collective discourse, forging pathways toward more enlightened, pluralistic, and constructive public dialogues.
