Free speech and student safety go hand in hand in supporting Kent State University's core values.
That was the message Eboni Pringle, Ph.D., shared Nov. 3 with a national audience on NPR's “Morning Edition.”
Pringle is the interim senior vice president for student life at Kent State, where she oversees 25 departments that foster the holistic well-being of students at Kent State. This includes overseeing student demonstrations and opportunities for students to exercise free speech in a place where they feel safe.
Listen below to Pringle's interview as she was invited to speak with NPR about how universities support both free speech and student safety in light of conflicts across the globe:
"Civil discourse and activism is in the Kent State DNA. It's at the core of who we are," Pringle said.
Pringle echoed in part the message President Todd Diacon delivered in August at Convocation as he told incoming students to embrace free speech with kindness and respect in all that we do.
Diacon called for all Golden Flashes to support one another during overwhelming times as part of his letter to the campus community in early October.