University of Sheffield and free speech

[ChristinaXYZ]

Free speech has become a real issue at lots of universities on lots of subjects. With my DDs A level results due next week I was horrified to read this on the University of Sheffield - forcing a staff member out for inviting the Equiano Project (founded by a black woman) to speak and for signing a letter in support of Prof Kathleen Stock. Basically allowing offended bullies to get their way.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/08/13/university-forces-diversity-adviser-supporting-bullied-professor/

Are there any alternative good university list that rank them by free speech because they all seem this useless at the moment.

If I am pay for DD to get through uni I expect her to be able to experience different ideas and to learn to argue, debate, and stand up for what she believes in and to also be able to admit that she has got things wrong sometimes too and to change her mind. What is the point of going otherwise?

Apparently some universities in the UK want to decolonise the subject of Maths!! How is that even possible? Surely they're just.... numbers!?!

Think you can choose who to amplify etc., who to get to speak about subjects etc.? theconversation.com/yes-mathematics-can-be-decolonised-heres-how-to-begin-65963

I do sometimes think about what we don't know because we only ever listened to such a narrow range of people, what paths of research have we never got started on?

Can you tell I'm not down with all this woke nonsense! I'm pro-life too and not left-wing to boot so most universities would absolutely love me!

It's nightmare all over, hopefully as the court cases keep coming universities will stop discriminating against gender critical people.

No university is free of this.

You mean instead of what you calll woke nonsense you prefer reactionary nonsense?

Lannistunut - thanks will have a read.

The whole statue toppling thing which seemed to grip various countries really annoyed me. Many art works, statues, buildings etc have a dubious heritage but why should they be destroyed in acts of illegal vandalism? Schools/unis should visit them with students and use them as a starting point for discussion. They represent our past for good or bad and we can't pretend they never existed.

Lannistunut - if you consider pro-life and gender critical views to be "reactionary nonsense" then I'm guessing we could have a long conversation about what actually constitutes "progress". I suspect neither of us will change our minds.

I do agree that mathematics should be accessible to all. I also agree that ignored voices from history should be heard - I just feel that most Maths students would rather just get on with their commutative algebra.