Student Govt. at University of Washington Wants ‘Content Warnings’ in Classes

Student Govt. at University of Washington Wants ‘Content Warnings’ in Classes

It’s not entirely clear how content warnings differ from trigger warnings, but the bottom line is the same. If you need one, you’re not ready for college.

Campus Reform reports:

University of Washington student government wants school to introduce ‘content warnings’ in class

Leaders of the University of Washington student government have approved a bill that calls on the university administration to create “content warning” standards for classes.

According to The Daily, the Associated Students of the University of Washington Board of Directors approved the resolution which calls on the university to require professors to add “content warnings” before classroom discussions of “sensitive topics.”

The resolution recommends that instructors communicate “content warnings” before discussing “sexual assault, child abuse, physical assault, racially motivated violence, abuse, and suicide.”

Additionally, the resolution recommends that instructors include a “content warning” in the course description, given to students when registering for classes.

The resolution also calls on the university to create a “formal method for students to submit complaints” if a professor brings up a sensitive topic but does not use a “content warning.”

To keep professors accountable, the resolution recommends that a question is added to students end-of-semester teaching evaluations that ask “students whether content warnings were given before discussions/descriptions of sensitive topics.”

The sponsor of the bill, Eva Hudak, told The Daily that she has seen professors show graphic images and conversations surrounding violence and assault without content warnings.

“I deserve to be able to participate in discussions without having to deal with physical anxiety symptoms, and so does everybody else,” Hudak said.

Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.