The 2015 Campus Freedom Index was recently published by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), and the Carleton University Students’ Association’s (CUSA) grade climbed from a B to an A.
The JCCF’s reasoning behind raising CUSA’s grade is that a motion was passed during council last year that supports freedom of expression. The JCCF also said CUSA is one of the best unions in Canada when it comes to freedom of speech.
This grade means very little. The JCCF only assesses one side of the free speech argument while ignoring safe space policies and why they are in place.
Campuses are meant to be a hub of freedom of expression and open intellectual dialogue about contentious issues, but at the same time they should foster an environment that is safe and inclusive for everyone.
It is hard to examine a campus or union when looking at safe space and free speech mutually, as the topics encompass different things. Freedom of intellectual thought and protecting targeted groups on campus should be treated as separate topics.
The JCCF, therefore, does not add constructive dialogue to an already contentious issue on university campuses.
Students should not look to the JCCF when assessing which university to attend. They should instead seek open, unbiased information from different campus groups that examine both safe space policies and the reasons behind them, as well as freedom of speech.
