% JOSH KAUL, THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.
% >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
% >> THE RESULTS OF A
% CONTROVERSIAL FREE SPEECH SURVEY
% ADMINISTERED TO STUDENTS
% THROUGHOUT THE UW SYSTEM FOUND
% IN SOME INSTANCES, CONSERVATIVE
% STUDENTS NOT FEELING COMFORTABLE
% TO EXPRESS THEIR VIEWS IN THE
% CLASSROOM BEFORE AND ESPECIALLY
% AFTER THE FEBRUARY RELEASE OF
% THOSE SURVEY RESULTS,
% REPUBLICANS HAVE EXPRESSED
% CONCERNS THAT STUDENTS WITH
% CONSERVATIVE VIEWS ARE SHUT OUT
% ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES OR, IN MORE
% EXTREME LANGUAGE, ARE BEING
% INDOCTRINATED BY PROFESSORS.
% FREDERICA FREYBERG SPOKE WITH UW
% MADISON POLITICAL SCIENCE
% PROFESSOR KATHERINE CRAMER WHO
% TOOK ISSUE WITH STUDENT
% INDOCTRINATION IN AN ESSAY SHE
% WROTE ON FREE SPEECH IN THE
% CLASSROOM.%>> IT JUST DOES NO
T AT ALL MATCH
% MY REALITY.
% THE DISCUSSION AROUND WHETHER OR
% NOT INDOCTRINATION IS GOING ON
% ON THE UW MADISON CAMPUS IS JUST
% SO FAR REMOVED FROM MY DAILY
% LIFE AND I, YOU KNOW, AS A
% PERSON WHO HAS GROWN UP IN THIS
% STATE AND WORKED AT THIS
% INSTITUTION AT UW MADISON
% BASICALLY MY ENTIRE CAREER, I'VE
% BEEN FORTUNATE TO HAVE THIS JOB
% SINCE I FINISHED MY
% DISSERTATION, I MEAN, I JUST --
% I WORRY A LOT ABOUT THE
% CRITICISM OF THIS PLACE BECAUSE
% I KNOW THAT IT'S THE UW MADISON,
% UW SYSTEM IS SO BELOVED BY
% PEOPLE OF THIS STATE AND MY
% EXPERIENCE WITH STUDENTS ON THIS
% CAMPUS IS JUST -- IT'S JUST VERY
% DIFFERENT FROM THE DEBATE THAT'S
% GOING ON AROUND INDOCTRINATION.
% >> WHAT ABOUT THE FREE SPEECH
% SURVEY UNDERTAKEN BY THE UW
% SYSTEM THAT REPUBLICAN
% LEGISLATORS THEMSELVES CALL
% TROUBLING, WHERE IT FOUND THAT
% 60% OF REPUBLICAN STUDENTS FEEL,
% QUOTE, PRESSURED BY AN
% INSTRUCTOR TO AGREE WITH
% SPECIFIC POLITICAL VIEWS BEING
% EXPRESSED IN CLASS.
% WHAT ABOUT THAT SURVEY?
% >> IT'S BEEN MY LIFE'S WORK TO
% CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT IN MY
% CLASSROOM IN WHICH STUDENTS OF
% ALL POLITICAL LEANINGS HAVE THE
% SPACE TO THINK AND TALK WITH
% EACH OTHER AND QUESTION EACH
% OTHER AND GRADUATE FROM THAT
% CLASS WITH A MORE PROFOUND SENSE
% OF WHO THEY ARE AS A CITIZEN.
% SO THAT'S ONE THING THAT THE
% JUST REALLY -- THAT JUST REALLY
% DISTURBED ME ABOUT THAT, BECAUSE
% IT JUST RUNS AGAINST THE GRAIN
% OF WHAT I'VE BEEN TRYING TO DO
% FOR DECADES IN MY OWN LIFE.
% AND THERE'S ANOTHER THING THAT
% REALLY TROUBLES ME ABOUT THAT
% SURVEY, IS THAT IT REALLY DOES
% NOT COMPORT WELL OR MATCH WELL
% WITH THE RESULTS OF OUR OWN UW
% CAMPUS CLIMATE SURVEY, WHICH WAS
% CONDUCTED IN 2021.
% THEY HAD A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT
% MEASURES OF WHO FELT WELCOME ON
% CAMPUS, ABOUT 20, IF I REMEMBER
% RIGHT, AND ACCORDING TO NONE OF
% THOSE MEASURES DO SELF-DESCRIBED
% CONSERVATIVE STUDENTS SAY THEY
% DON'T FEEL WELCOMED.
% AND YET THERE WAS A QUESTION ON
% THAT SURVEY ASKING WHO DO YOU
% THINK DOESN'T FEEL WELCOME ON
% OUR CAMPUS?
% AND MANY, MANY PEOPLE SAID
% CONSERVATIVE STUDENTS.
% SO THERE'S THIS PERSPECTIVE THAT
% CONSERVATIVE STUDENTS ARE
% SILENCED ON OUR CAMPUS, BUT
% CONSERVATIVE STUDENTS THEMSELVES
% DO NOT REPORT FEELING SILENCED.
% SO I'M WORRIED THERE'S A BIG
% MISMATCH IN MY MIND BETWEEN THE
% RESULTS OF THE FREE SPEECH
% SURVEY AND OUR OWN CAMPUS
% CLIMATE SURVEY.
% >> YOU DESCRIBED HOW STUDENTS
% FELT TALKING ABOUT POLITICS AT
% THE START OF YOUR CLASS IN THE
% MIDST OF THIS POLARIZED CLIMATE.
% WHAT IS THAT LIKE WHEN THEY
% FIRST STEP INTO THAT CLASS?
% >> SO ESPECIALLY WHEN I WAS -- I
% ASSIGNED TO THEM PORTIONS OF A
% BOOK I PUBLISHED IN 2016 ABOUT
% OUR OWN RURAL URBAN DIVIDE HERE
% IN WISCONSIN.
% MANY OF THE STUDENTS, MOST OF
% THEM ARE FROM AN URBAN OR
% SUBURBAN AREA, WOULD SAY THINGS
% LIKE, OH, I'VE NEVER HEARD THAT
% PERSPECTIVE, OR I'VE ALWAYS
% WONDERED WHY, WHY DID PEOPLE IN
% RURAL AREAS OF THE COUNTRY VOTE
% FOR DONALD TRUMP, BECAUSE IT
% SEEMS TO ME LIKE HE'S A
% CANDIDATE THAT WASN'T GOING TO
% HELP THEM OR HE WOULD BE NOT
% SUPPORTING THE KIND OF POLICIES
% THAT INK WOULD BENEFIT I THINK
% WOULD BENEFIT PEOPLE LIKE THEM.
% I'M TRYING TO GET THEM TO
% UNDERSTAND MORE DEEPLY THEIR OWN
% VIEWS AND TO JUST BASICALLY SEE
% PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT POLITICAL
% VIEWS AS HUMAN BEINGS, AS
% EQUALLY AS HUMAN AND EQUALLY AS
% DIGNIFIED AND WORTHY OF RESPECT
% AS THEY THEMSELVES ARE.
% >> SO THE OTHER THING THAT YOU
% TOUCHED ON IN THIS CLASS WAS
% RACE, AND WHAT WAS YOUR
% TAKE-AWAY FROM THAT?
% >> I PLAY SOME EXCERPTS FOR
% THESE STUDENTS OF CONVERSATIONS
% THAT STUDENTS OF COLOR AND I
% ORGANIZED ON OUR CAMPUS A FEW
% YEARS AGO AND I PLAYED SOME OF
% THE EXCERPTS OF THOSE
% CONVERSATIONS FOR THE BROADER
% CLASS, WHICH IS PREDOMINANTLY
% WHITE, AND THE STUDENTS ARE
% SHOCKED TO HEAR SOME OF THESE
% STORIES OF STUDENTS JUST TALKING
% ABOUT THE DISCRIMINATION THEY
% FACED JUST IN EVERYDAY LIFE ON
% CAMPUS.
% NOT VIOLENT, BUT SORT OF JUST
% THE COMMON EXPERIENCE OF IT AND
% IT'S INVISIBLE TO A LOT OF THESE
% STUDENTS WHO DON'T EXPERIENCE
% THAT PERSONALLY.
% SO WE TALK ABOUT THAT AS BOTH
% THE WAY YOU HAVE TO REALLY
% LISTEN CAREFULLY FOR DIFFERENT
% FACETS OF PUBLIC OPINION AND THE
% WAY PEOPLE'S EXPERIENCES ARE
% SUCH AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE
% WAY THEY SEE THE WORLD, BUT THEN
% ALSO AS A STEP TOWARDS, OKAY,
% WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT WHAT PUBLIC
% OPINION IS, HOW IT WORKS, HOW TO
% MEASURE IT, BUT NOW WHAT'S YOUR
% ROLE IN PUBLIC OPINION?
% WHEN YOU LEAVE THIS CLASS, WHEN
% YOU LEAVE THIS UNIVERSITY, WHAT
% KIND OF A PERSON DO YOU WANT TO
% BE OUT THERE IN THE WORLD?
% HOW DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO
% RESPECT YOU AND LISTEN TO YOU
% AND WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO
% MAKE SURE WE HAVE THE KIND OF
% DEMOCRACY WHERE, SITTING DOWN