Do Students Listen to Others’ Views?

Allie Grasgreen

The world of academe is generally considered a marketplace of ideas. But its customers may do more one-stop shopping than browsing the aisles.
Campus constituencies across the country are skeptical of their institutions’ emphasis on — and consideration of — diverse viewpoints both in the classroom and on campus generally, according to a report released Thursday by the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
The surveyed groups — students, faculty, academic administrators and student affairs professionals — reported a need for more institutional focus on taking other people’s perspectives seriously. There was also a general consensus that for the most part, individuals do not strive to encourage, and sometimes do not even consider, listening to diverse perspectives. (The groups were generally more forgiving to themselves than to each other, however.)