Interview with Dr. Broom

Dr. Broom is a professor in the Psychology Department, and she is very passionate about free speech. In fact, when I asked her to sit down with me, she emailed me back describing how she feels free speech is a human right that all individuals should have and that America protects. She believes that free speech is imperative not only to society but also in the classroom. The classes that Dr. Broom teaches do not bring up much controversy, but she still encourages her students to talk to others with differing opinions because dialogue is so important. Discussion does not need to have a purpose to change minds, just to learn and understand a new perspective. Disagreement is acceptable, but there needs to be a place of mutual respect for one another. Individual experiences lead people to their mindsets on issues and topics, so it is important for others to listen and understand where those come from.

Dr. Broom and I discussed how being robbed of free speech leads to a slippery slope. People should be able to freely exchange their ideas without fear, and Dr. Broom wants there to be a spirit of kindness in sharing beliefs. We discussed how in society today, it seems that reasonable voices are not always speaking. Individuals of all political sides should be able to contribute to conversation if they want to. Free speech is very important when it comes to speaking about the government as well. The government censoring disagreement or criticism is particularly dangerous and could lead to other things like lack of privacy. There are examples of other countries monitoring journalists and anti-government websites, which shows privacy is a prerequisite for free expression. With technology continuing to be developed, it is vital that America strive to continue to protect free speech as well as privacy. Dr. Broom firmly believes in the good that free speech does and recognizes the consequences of not protecting it.

Interview with Jenna Welker

Jenna Welker is a TCU student athlete on the equestrian team. As a Criminal Justice and Psychology double major, she feels that her classes are open to differing ideas. She has never experienced or seen a professor shutdown a student for their discussion contributions, although sometimes there may be corrections to answers by a professor. Jenna feels that there is a good balance of different perspectives discussed in the classroom. Even when topics that are controversial are discussed, contrasting views are present in conversation. She has recognized that the majority of her professors lean left, which has influenced her, but she still feels like other perspectives are brought up. Because she feels like the classroom is a safe space, whenever professors ask students to share personal stories, Jenna feels comfortable sharing information about herself.

As an athlete, Jenna has been told that the jersey never comes off because she represents a different part of TCU. She feels that she is kept more in check about her conduct and speech in the sports setting. She stated that she would feel differently if she was not on a team. She still feels open to speak, but not as open as in the classroom setting. Professors and coaches have different responses given that they are in different environments, similarly the relationship between coach and athlete and professor and student are different. The athletic setting does not appear to be the place for free thought and expression in many ways, but the classroom certainly is in her experience.

Interview with Dr. Quesada

Dr. Quesada is a religion professor at TCU whose specialization is in Biblical Studies. Among other religion subjects, Dr. Quesada teaches Interfaith courses, which involves learning about many different religions of the world. This course allows students to understand where other religions are rooted from. She does not feel restricted by speech in the classroom. While she feels more vulnerable teaching some subjects more than others, she has felt student responses to controversial subjects have been respectful and taken well.

The classroom needs to make space to honor voices and humanize people who have differing perspectives. Dr. Quesada brought in a guest speaker to one of her classes who described his experience going to his place of prayer when men with heavy weaponry were surrounding it. He had a discussion with these men and they agreed to disagree. This is an example of how human connection creates a bond and gives a face to the opposing belief. This is so important and something that society has lost, especially with social media. Hate builds up so much, particularly on social media, and Dr. Quesada pointed out that one really cannot negotiate with hate.

Dr. Quesada talked about her openness to differing perspectives, specifically from students. She said that she admires those who challenge her beliefs and thinks that students should push back and question ideas more because it will make learning more enriching. She notes that both students and teachers need to have the facts and research to back claims up. Whether it is a paper or a verbal discussion comment that differs from her personal view, she does not care about what is being argued, as long as the work and research has been done. Dr. Quesada overall wishes students spoke up more with their opinions.