There is a disturbing trend spreading across universities throughout America. Within the past three months, two collegiate intellectuals—one a 30-year-old two-tour Iraq War veteran now studying, the other a Yale associate master—voiced opinions that provoked very strong reactions.

The former, Bryan Stascavage, a writer at Wesleyan University, wrote for The Wesleyan Argus a piece skeptical of the Black Lives Matter movement; the latter, Erika Christakis, wrote about cultural pressure concerning “offensive” Halloween costumes. Almost immediately, both were attacked for their opinions.

Stascavage’s column on Black Lives Matter acknowledged that “there is clearly something wrong” with the current police system and “[he believes] Black Lives Matter is doing good.” Yet the correct response, he stated, was not to celebrate police fatalities, chanting for “more pigs to fry like bacon,” as has happened on several occasions. Instead, Stascavage proposed that a more productive and peaceful response be used. That view was quickly attacked.

The Argus came under fire from almost all sides. Students stole copies of the paper, allegedly burning or shredding the offending ideas. Members of The Ankh, the African-American student publication, reportedly accosted the Argus offices and called for a front-page editorial apology for publishing what many believed was a moderate piece of writing. The Argus agreed, and published an apology. Subsequently, the student government cut about half of the funding for The Argus, and the 150-year-old publication is still under fire.

The paper also volunteered to print what it called a “Black Out” issue, written entirely by African-American students. Some criticized the creepy “separate but equal” vibe from this, and rightly so. Race should not be the sole deciding factor in any decision, and this decision is not fair to others.

Surprisingly, the only organizations that supported free speech were the Weslyan administration and faculty. President Michael Roth, along with other administrators, wrote an open message in support, stating that “there is no right not to be offended” and that the appropriate response to offensive speech was to engage in a conversation, not to silence the opposition.

The other outrage, although it has not inspired as much of an uproar, came when Erika Christakis, a residential administrator at Yale, wrote a simple e-mail addressed to students concerning appropriate Halloween attire. Dean Burgwell Howard had recently written an email asking students to avoid costumes based on race or other controversial topics. Christakis, in a subsequent email to students, publically voiced her diagreement, writing that students should self-regulate costumes, using common sense instead of an institution “[exercising]… implied control over college students.”

Seems rather basic: Instead of forcing these ideas on people, adults should use common sense and discuss their differences. Then came the reaction again.

An open letter of outrage, signed by over 700 students and staff, was delivered to Christakis. The letter stated that she was assisting the “degradation of … cultures and people” and that she had invited ridicule and violence on minorities and decreased safe space for marginalized students. In other words, by peacefully stating her opinion and by calling for more conversation and understanding, she had called for violence. If it seems ridiculous, it is.

Yet Christakis welcomed both the criticism and the praise for her opinions. She called for conversation on the topic, as there should be. She even invited students into her home for a brunch. Universities used to be recognized as one of the places where free speech reigned supreme, yet now they are the home of censorship, where there is some right not to be offended. Free speech is one of the foundations of American life. We need to stop the disturbing trend of attempting to silence one’s opposition instead of attempting to engage it. We should never feel threatened by mere ideas.