Last semester Towson University launched a new free speech space called Freedom Square. As is described in this post on the American Democracy Project blog, the space features chalkboards, electrical outlets, seats and a “public forum area.” Each week a question is posted on the chalkboards, and students can write their responses. The first question posted was, “Why is Free Speech important to you?” The site is also a venue for campus events relating to its mission of promoting free expression, critical thinking and debate.
I’ve thought for a while that UMBC would benefit from such a space, and I’ve been involved in several conversations in the past in which participants imagined where it could be located and what it might contain. The discussions on MyUMBC provide a valuable outlet for people’s opinions, but I’d love to see a dynamic physical representation of our campus commitment to civic engagement and the free exchange of ideas.
The one thing about the Towson’s approach I find slightly off-putting is the posting of those weekly questions. I love the idea of promoting debate, but there’s something about the fact that the questions aren’t attached to a person—they’re sort of disembodied, coming from nowhere—that leaves me a little cold. Their appearance hints at a hidden authority controlling things, setting the terms. I’d like to think we could com e up with a way to establish a free, non-virtual, creative forum for individual expression and community discussions without incorporating the disembodied voice.
