For seniors in high school planning to move on to college, it’s often an exhilarating feeling to find a welcome letter from the institution to which they applied. A letter to the incoming Class of 2020 from University of Chicago’s Dean of Studies, however, may not have been as welcoming as expected. Instead, the recent release of this letter has generated increased conversation on a controversial topic that schools have been wrestling with for years.

So what is this all about? Colleges, universities, and other educational institutions across the country have been taking opposing stances on the idea ofmaintaining safe spaces and trigger warnings, and whether it is appropriate in academia.

If you’re anything like me, a proponent of personal and mental health being top priority, you’re probably wondering why on earth would a college take away something that allows its students to feel more secure.

Dean Ellison of UChicago provides his answer. In his letter, he makes it clear that the university will not be utilizing safe spaces or trigger warnings due to the limits they place on academic freedom and discovery. Many people, like him, who argue against these extra accommodations fear that too much "censorship" will make it too easy for students to opt-out of classes and avoid risk-fully delving into discussion or study of difficult topics. Some may even say it's a detriment to freedom of speech.

While deans and scholars argue about whether it is right or not, I think we need to take a step back and recognize the intended purpose of safe spaces and trigger warnings.

Safe Space: an area that's basically a no judgement zone where people can be their true selves and speak about their experiences without feeling uncomfortable.

Note that some may change the term to "safer space" because no environment can truly be considered completely safe.

Trigger Warnings: (in context of school) a heads-up given by the professor before approaching content that may be upsetting or traumatic to a student.

Doesn't seem too threatening to the education system, right? In fact, it could even be more beneficial in providing students, especially those who come from marginalized backgrounds, a better learning environment in which they can flourish.

For many people having both safe(r) spaces and trigger warnings holds high importance and is an essential factor in their academic success. It's not something to be taken lightly.

We must be responsible as students to not take advantage of these practices, to continuously check if our administration and school community promotes respect, and to help every individual feel welcome.