Students on university campuses ought to feel safe in expressing themselves. This should go without saying – but I want to take the opportunity to say it nonetheless.

I’ve spoken and written many times, in numerous venues, about the value of civility and respectful dialogue. Such principles have essentially stood at the center of my scholarly career, at the core of my studies as a political scientist.

In fact, part of my vision for UConn, from the start, has been working with members of our community to establish a culture of civility and mutual respect here at the University – where our students can take part in intellectual debate and learn how to think critically; where faculty can pursue thought-provoking research questions; where parents can send their sons and daughters off to college, knowing that their children are receiving a stellar education that will help them grow into engaged, productive citizens.

At times, I worry about the kind of incivility that we have around us, about the current political dynamic, about the seeming inability of some of our leaders to cooperate for the common good. America is supposed to be a kind of civil democracy in good times and bad.

That is why I have been so dismayed to hear about the recent clashes on college campuses between police and nonviolent demonstrators, including the recent incident at University of California at Davis, in which police officers pepper sprayed a group of protesters, many of them students, who sat with arms linked on the campus grounds.

For students at UConn, I want to stress that our campus can – and should – serve as a place where they feel safe in exercising their right to free speech. Students should not have to fear intimidation, retaliation, or violence in response to peaceful political protest.

As an institution of higher learning, our mission is, in part, to guide our young people toward realizing their full potential, to help them find their passion and follow it. This includes fostering a culture of tolerance and encouraging constructive public discourse across campus. University campuses like ours should serve as an example to students – in how best to conduct ourselves in a thoughtful exchange of ideas with others, in how to listen, and in how to bring civility to our conversations. In light of the recent events taking place on campuses across the country, let’s bear in mind the value of civility and continue to serve as an example to one another.

For more School of Thought posts, go to President Herbst’s blog page.