After a professor at Oberlin College posted comments on social media and shared posts claiming that Jews and Israelis control much of the world and were responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Islamic State, the college’s president defended the principle of academic freedom. But as reaction intensified from alumni, some Jewish groups and others, the chairman of the board of trustees called for quick action at the college in Ohio. The controversy was the latest addition to a fundamental debate that has bubbled up at many campuses across the country, as university officials grapple with where to draw the line between protecting free speech and stopping hate speech. Pressure has intensified in many places as student protests have demanded a stronger response to offensive comments, raising awareness and sensitivity to racial and cultural slights — and bringing pushback from others worried about censorship or ridiculing calls for “safe spaces” free of objectionable ideas.

March 8, 2016 ・ From The Washington Post