More Coddling at American Universities

Last week, I saw headlines related to several universities across the country that had canceled classes the day after the presidential election. The purpose was to allow time for students to “recover” from the stress of the election results. Here are some examples of universities that not only canceled classes but took things a step further:

• Georgetown University provided a “self-care suite” where students were provided with milk and cookies; hot cocoa; Legos; and “Coloring and Mindfulness Exercises.”
• Some professors at Harvard University canceled classes, made attendance optional, or extended assignment deadlines. Economics lecturer Maxim Boycko, for example, emailed students, “As we recover from the eventful election night and process the implications of Trump’s victory, please know that class will proceed as usual today, except that classroom quizzes will not be for credit. Feel free to take time off if needed.” The student newspaper noted that several professors had postponed exams or lightened students’ assignments after Trump’s win in 2016, as well.
• Multiple students from Columbia University, particularly its Barnard College, noted that following the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7 last year, no classes were canceled. In fact, there were antisemitic protests on both campuses (as well as others) over several weeks during which Jewish students feared for their safety. However, last week, some professors canceled classes, shortened them, or made them “optional.”
• At Virginia Tech, a full day of “self-care” activities, including yoga classes, “restorative dialogue,” and therapy dog “pawfice” hours was offered to process the election results.
• Moving to the west coast, students at the University of Puget Sound were invited to stroll in a “walkable labyrinth” with “calming lighting and music;” “recharge” their mental health in an arts and crafts corner; or make a collage in a “supportive space for election processing.” These were all part of a full week of “self-care” election activities.
• At the University of Oregon, “Quacktavious the Therapy Duck,” baby therapy goats, and therapy dogs were brought to campus “to promote well-being and lessen anxiety” for students.
• Even K-12 students were not exempt from canceled classes. Students at Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York who felt too emotionally distressed the day after the election were excused from classes. In addition, no homework was assigned on Election Day, no student assessments were given the following day, and psychologists were available to provide counseling.

I’m sure there are other examples, but I think these will suffice. These schools were the object of widespread mockery on social media, as one might expect. More than one person said that some of our universities sounded like daycare centers. The word “coddling,” which means overprotecting or pampering, was used by more than one person as well. (Special thanks, by the way, to Campus Reform for keeping us aware of what’s happening on our university campuses. Also, you can read about this in more detail in this article: https://www.foxnews.com/media/universities-come-under-fire-canceling-classes-providing-safe-spaces-students-upset-trumps-victory)

Since equality is so important to so many, I would say that if a university is going to have these kinds of “self-care” and “recovery” activities, then they ought to do it after every presidential election, not just elections when a certain “side” wins. I saw nothing like this following the 2020 presidential election, for example. Some will say this is because of COVID and the lockdowns; however, classes were still taking place online.

Better (much better) yet, however, our universities should not allow professors to cancel classes in the wake of elections. In 2018, The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt was published. The authors wrote about the coddling that has been going on at our universities for at least a decade now. One insight that I found especially powerful was what they called the untruth of fragility: “What doesn’t kill you makes you weaker.” This seems to be a common modern belief, turning the old but true adage “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” on its head. As Lukianoff and Haidt write, however, “Human beings need physical and mental challenges and stressors or we deteriorate.” In other words, parents and teachers/professors should stop trying to shield their kids and students from all conflict and disagreement of various kinds; they are going to experience it anyway, so why not help them learn how to handle it instead? I have written about this more here and related it to churches as well: https://keithpetersenblog.com/2021/10/06/coddling-in-american-universities-and-churches/

I have two grown kids who both had good university experiences, including never having had classes canceled following elections or for any other spurious reasons that I’m aware of. If my son or daughter were now attending a university where any classes were canceled last week because of the election results, I would most definitely contact the president’s office at said university to let them know what I thought. Depending on the specifics, I might even request a partial tuition refund. (Yes, we helped our kids with a portion of their tuition, room, and board.)

In the end, coddling our young adults, whether done by parents or universities, does no good and in fact harms them, contrary to popular belief. Let’s give appropriate levels of protection, but not overprotection, to those we love and teach.