Recently, the administration decided to not allow any further public gatherings in the cafeteria. Giving the student body vague explanations to justify such a radical and unforeseen change in a policy that affects a large percentage of the students on campus.

Apparently one of the reasons for this policy change was that some members of the student body felt “uncomfortable” when some of these gatherings or shows took place. This turnaround in policy is not without immediate consequences, though, as it has disrupted many student organizations’ plans for events, as the Cafeteria was essentially booked to the end of the year.

Some of these events are very well attended by the student population and include GAC’s Got Talent, and the Theta Xi Gamma Sorority’s extremely popular event Mr. Gustavus. Many student organizations have difficulty finding a large area to book events and removing the cafeteria from the list of available spaces is extremely shortsighted and goes against what we should stand for as an institution of higher learning.

An institution of higher learning, especially one as respected as Gustavus Adolphus College, is supposed to challenge us in many ways to prepare us for the world which will rarely cater to a person’s sensitive feelings just to prevent individuals from feeling “offended” or “uncomfortable.”

The way a college prepares someone for the outside world will not always make people comfortable because there are a wide variety of beliefs and cultural practices that are commonplace in the United States that the mass majority of college students have never encountered with. But we have a chance as a student to interact with people outside of our own bubble in college, as it is one of the few times in life where we spend large amounts of time in a small geographic area that has a population of people that differ in their beliefs, culture, and life experiences.

Yet it seems like we at Gustavus have begun to hold conflicting beliefs and views concerning this type of education by exposure. I would venture to say that a decent amount of the student body here would say that no one should be offended, but still claim that we are an open and accepting society at Gustavus.

These two sets of beliefs for the most part cannot be reconciled with one another, because if a society is truly accepting of beliefs and practices that are not of the majority there will be plenty of people that for some reason or another find themselves “offended” by one thing or another.

This oversensitivity is essentially an overblown form of rabid and unhealthy need for political correctness. Although often times beneficial, this overuse detracts from deep and honest discussions, either within or outside of the classroom, because people are less likely to say how they truly feel about something if they are afraid of potential backlash. Perhaps if we as a college no longer allowed ourselves to be so easily offended we could bring ourselves closer together and lead to a better understanding between different groups here on campus.

The cafeteria is also an important gathering place for all students, faculty, and employees of Gustavus. In all reality, there is a historical precedent that the cafeteria is essentially our Forum. For those who do not know, the Forum was a place in ancient Rome where the many citizens of Rome would gather to debate, worship, trade, eat, and listen to orators of all stripes.

Since most students tend to travel through the cafeteria at various times, I would contend that it is essentially our Forum; to deny our organizations their right to assemble and present to the student body in a place where many can hear their message is wrong.

It is our job as members of an institution of higher learning to support open discussions of all topics to further our understanding and to continue the Western tradition of open and candid dialogue on the public stage so that all can hear and take part. I ask the administration to seriously consider reversing this new rule regarding the cafeteria and also appeal the student body to contact the administration and make their opinions known.  

-Andrew Gladitsch