DePauw Stories

In a recent op-ed for Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, Dr. Lori S. White and her co-author Dr. Jacqueline Pfeffer Merrill of the Bipartisan Policy Center argue that colleges and universities play a crucial role in preparing students to be active participants in an increasingly polarized world. One of the primary ways higher education institutions can carry out that role is by creating diverse educational environments where different perspectives are encouraged and respected.

“Acknowledging the deep divide regarding perspectives on freedom of expression and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts across higher education, and the feelings of those who believe particular speech harms their personhood, we wholeheartedly reject the contention that these commitments must operate at cross-purposes,” they write.

Instead, White and Pfeffer Merrill contend that these seemingly contradictory commitments work in harmony to give students the foundation they need for productive civic engagement. “The values of freedom of expression, diversity, and inclusion are inherently connected to and dependent on one another. And they are necessary as we work to prepare and inspire students to be active participants in our democracy.”

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