A nineteen-year-old college student was reportedly booted from class discussion for openly questioning statistics about rape on college campuses and disputing the existence of so-called “rape culture.” As the story unfolds, though, it’s not clear, whether the student is being persecuted for unpopular opinions or he’s just a pedagogical nightmare.
Jeremiah True is an undergraduate at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Recently Reed faculty member Pancho Savery told Jeremiah that Jeremiah was no longer welcome to participate in the “conference” portion of Humanities 110, where students meet in small groups for faculty-facilitated discussion.
Pancho informed Jeremiah of the decision via email, writing in part,
Take Control Of Your Firm’s Finances With Tools Built For Success
Position your firm for long-term growth with better financial visibility and control. Learn how to track performance, manage spending, and plan strategically—download the full e-book now.
There are several survivors of sexual assault in our conference, and you have made them extremely uncomfortable with what they see as not only your undermining incidents of rape, but of also placing too much emphasis on men being unfairly charged with rape. They, and others, do not feel comfortable being in the same classroom with you; not only because of this topic but because of other things you have said to people personally or on facebook in which you seem to undermine women’s abilities in general. The entire conference without exception, men as well as women, feel that your presence makes them uncomfortable enough that they would rather not be there if you are there, and they have said that things you have said in our conference have made them so upset that they have difficulty concentrating in other classes. I, as conference leader, have to do what is best for the well-being of the entire class, and I am therefore banning you from conference for the remainder of the semester.
Jeremiah responded by writing a letter to the Reed College faculty and starting a petition on Change.org. BuzzFeed first picked up the story yesterday, under the headline “College Professor Bans Student From Class For His Views on Rape.” The National Review’s “Student: I Was Banned From Class for Pointing Out That a False Rape Statistic Was False” quickly followed suit. They pilloried Pancho for squelching free speech. Reed is a private college, and its students may not enjoy First Amendment protection while in class, but surely excluding him from class at a liberal arts college for voicing unpopular views was rather illiberal.
I agree with Jeremiah’s skepticism about “rape culture.” Hell, I wanted Lena Dunham to be prosecuted for her misleading tale of her alleged rape as an undergrad at Oberlin. Also, I’m admittedly well disposed to spot liberals setting aside the First Amendment when they don’t like the conservative views expressed by the speaker. (I have a Google alert set for “liberal hypocrisy.”) But I’m not cynical enough to automatically conclude that Pancho Savery was punishing Jeremiah for his opinions and not trying to manage a classroom full of students in the best way he could.
What Do You Have To Say To Get Thrown Out of a Free Speech Crusader’s Class?
Private Practice Lawyers: Rater Your Work With In-House Counsel
Please share your thoughts in this brief and anonymous survey.
Jeremiah’s story doesn’t lend itself to a flat read. For one thing, Pancho Savery makes an unlikely First Amendment villain. He appears to be a thoughtful, devoted teacher who relishes open debate among his students. According to Jeremiah himself, Pancho was an inspiring mentor. In a piece for Reed magazine called “Why I Teach at Reed,” Pancho writes,
“Reed does not encourage you to just agree—Reed teaches you to critically examine everything you hear and everything you read, and not take anybody’s word. You have to have the skill to think, and investigate, and engage in rational dialogue. It’s very easy at most schools to go through four years and be relatively passive. At most schools you can be a sponge and soak up what everyone around you says and does. You cannot be a sponge at Reed—you have to be active, you have to put yourself out there.”
In this video, Pancho proclaims,
“I am a religious believer in the First Amendment. I believe that it is never OK to censor anything. All ideas should be open to free expression and debate, and, therefore libraries have a civic obligation to provide access to whatever books people want to read. The ideas that are being talked about are going to be difficult, but I think that’s what it means to live in a democracy, to participate in the process, to be open to new ideas, and to be willing to talk about and debate those ideas with your fellow citizens. And the more that happens, the better and stronger our democracy will be.”
Pancho Savery told Reason’s Hit & Run Blog that Jeremiah “was not banned because of what he said but because of a series of disruptive behaviors.” If you’ve ever been in charge of a classroom of teenagers — and I have — you can probably imagine plenty of possibilities for what “disruptive behavior” might mean. If you haven’t, a comment from Jeremiah might help.
When Reason requested an interview with Jeremiah for his side of the story, he set a curious condition for speaking with the magazine. Jeremiah reportedly replied:
“Before I interview with you, you must agree to make ‘n**ger’ be the first word in your article.”
I can imagine explanations for making this a litmus test for detecting reporters who are truly committed to free expression. I can dig the attitude required to pull off a comment like that. But I can also imagine what a challenge it could be to figure out what to do with a kid like this in your class.
Free Speech and the Gifted Child
Despite his sassiness with reporters, in his letter and petition Jeremiah appears authentically troubled, perhaps even bewildered, by the recent events. Up to this point in his young life, the world has rewarded Jeremiah for being bright and for being bold. Teachers, parents, admissions counselors have praised these qualities. Such are the gifts given to the gifted child.
With that reinforcement, a young person grows bolder and probably, we hope, brighter too. After a while, he begins to feel bulletproof. Intellect makes you invincible! You can say anything, to anyone, so long as it’s smart!
That picture of how the world works crashes down the first time terrible consequences follow your boldness. Not the sort of quasi-bad consequences that make you feel good and righteous and smart, like angering your family when you wallop a backwards uncle in a debate. Rather, real s**t that you actually do not want and you cannot undo. The first time that happens, it hurts. Even if that pain signifies a rite of passage from “gifted child” to “adult in the real world,” it hurts.
I suspect that Jeremiah True is probably feeling that hurt right now.
Until I know more facts about the events leading up to Jeremiah’s ejection from class, I won’t take sides. Pancho has an obligation to create a learning environment that facilitates expression and openness for as many students as possible. But doing so shouldn’t be colored by personal politics. Jeremiah should feel empowered to speak the truth, even when it’s unpopular. But doing so doesn’t mean that you won’t suffer consequences sometimes.
Free speech has a price. That lesson is hard for teachers and students alike.
Tamara Tabo is a summa cum laude graduate of the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the school’s law review. After graduation, she clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She currently heads the Center for Legal Pedagogy at Texas Southern University, an institute applying cognitive science to improvements in legal education. You can reach her at [email protected].