Recently, an acceptance letter from the desk of the University of Chicago’s Dean of Students, John “Jay” Ellison, has gained a bit of attention. Specifically, one paragraph in the letter:

Our commitment to academic freedom means that we do not support so-called “trigger warnings,” we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and we do not condone the creation of intellectual “safe spaces” where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own.

Some people rejoiced at this letter while some immediately lashed out. When I read the headlines, I honestly thought I’d be in the latter group. But I learned one very important thing from this letter: this man has no idea what a trigger warning or a safe space is.

That’s pretty disappointing considering we’re talking about a man with a PhD in charge of all the students of a large university. So, seeing as such an educated person has no idea what these terms mean, I thought I’d explain it for him and the general public.

A simple Google search gives us this definition for trigger warning: “a statement at the start of a piece of writing, video, etc., alerting the reader or viewer to the fact that it contains potentially distressing material (often used to introduce a description of such content)” with the example, "There probably should be a trigger warning for people dealing with grief." Triggers, on the other hand, according to MentalHelp.net, “are external events or circumstances that may produce very uncomfortable emotional or psychiatric symptoms, such as anxiety, panic, discouragement, despair, or negative self-talk.”

What this basically means is that triggers are things that cause extreme responses of distress, often in people with mental illness. The most common triggers people think of are loud noises or explosions that cause panic in former military officers, a symptom of PTSD. However, triggers can be anything from discussions of rape scenarios provoking paranoia and self-hate in rape victims to cigarette smoke causing an abuse victim to have a panic attack because their abuser smoked. I’ve even heard of one women who is triggered by gelatin—it was something she ate when in the hospital for long periods of time due to repeated illness. Eating it now causes vomiting and intense anxiety.

Triggers can be things that are easy to understand, or they can seem silly. What’s important to remember is that you don’t deserve to know why someone is triggered by something that is meaningless to you. Asking them why they’re triggered by something like eating meatloaf seems natural, but it may be potentially damaging as they recount that it was the favorite dish of an abuser. Even sexual situations and media can be triggers. You don’t deserve to know why they’re triggered because even telling someone your triggers can take a lot of courage.

Trigger warnings are a little more complicated. There are more common triggers like blood, violence, sexual content, and rape scenarios that are easy to place a warning for. I’ve had a lot of teachers who tell students before a video that they can leave if blood makes them queasy. But what about triggers that are more unique? Is it even possible to put a warning for all of them? That’s where safe spaces come in.

“Safe space” is a phrase with a lot of definitions, but Safe Space Network, a blog that finds and posts reported safe spaces, defines it as “a place where anyone can relax and be able to fully express, without fear of being made to feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, or unsafe on account of biological sex, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, cultural background, religious affiliation, age, or physical or mental ability.” In relation to triggers, that means a place where someone can comfortably express their triggers without fear of judgement or needing to justify them. So, if a student with anxiety related to certain triggers feels safe with their professors, they may explain to their professor that they cannot remain in the room during certain topics or media. They may even just feel comfortable just leaving class if they feel triggered and explaining later in an email.

In a broader sense, safe spaces tend to be related to people’s offices or rooms. In both my high school and university, faculty and staff can post “safe zone” signs to indicate to students that they feel comfortable talking about issues relating to their sexual or gender identity. (If you attend the University of Alabama like me, you can be trained to become safe zone certified!) It’s mostly a term indicating that the person who inhabits that space will not judge the person entering. As the Safe Space Network indicates, no space is entirely safe, but there are some that are kinder, and you can avoid many cases of offending or triggering someone by being sensitive and non-judgmental.

So, that’s what “trigger warning” and “safe space” mean. What the dean seemed to be trying to express is that he doesn’t support censorship, which is fair. But definitely not what he ended up saying.