Student government endorses trigger warnings after faculty vote for freedom of expression

American University’s student government made clear that it strongly disagrees with faculty by throwing its weight behind trigger warnings.

Senator Shannon McDermott told The Eagle that her Undergraduate Senate resolution advocating for trigger warnings “in classrooms and on syllabi,” approved unanimously this week, was drafted in response to the Faculty Senate’s freedom-of-expression resolution, passed Sept. 9. (The student resolution does not appear to be online.)

Explaining that faculty were “confused as to what a trigger warning is, McDermott said they actually open discussion:

She believes that trigger warnings facilitate free speech in classrooms, as they alert students to what will be discussed, giving those who might feel triggered by the material time to prepare.

The same sentiment was expressed in a Chicago Maroon op-ed this week by a University of Chicago student majoring in “gender and sexuality studies.”

The AU Faculty Senate resolution carefully phrases its view of trigger warnings:

Faculty may advise students before exposing them to controversial readings and other materials that are part of their curricula. However, the Faculty Senate does not endorse offering “trigger warnings” or otherwise labeling controversial material in such a way that students construe it as an option to “opt out” of engaging with texts or concepts, or otherwise not participating in intellectual inquiries.

The chair of the Faculty Senate played down its own resolution, saying they “certainly don’t object” to trigger warnings: