Amid all the noise on college campuses, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos wants students to consider “embracing the power of silence.”
In prepared remarks for her commencement address at the University of Baltimore on Monday, DeVos went beyond simply acknowledging the threats to free speech in higher education, instead urging students to “listen,” “study,” and “ponder” before rushing to shout at those with whom they disagree.
DeVos told students they have “an inherent responsibility to be considerate and careful in the exchange of ideas.”
“Sometimes exchange requires raising your voice above the noise,” she said, “but more often, it requires embracing the power of silence.”
The secretary, whose appearance at the school was protested, argued that students and groups on campuses are too often focused more on making noise and creating division than in engaging in serious debate. “On social media and on many college campuses, groups and individuals pit themselves against each other, not to discuss and debate deeply held beliefs or ideas, but to raise decibels, score got’cha points or shout down an opponent’s voice,” she observed.
The solution to this problem, according to DeVos, is more listening.
“The natural instinct is to join in the chorus of conflict, to raise your voice louder, to promote your profile and ostracize others,” the secretary contended, asking students to consider the “paradox of silence.”
“Too many assume that those who are the loudest are leaders and those who stay quiet are followers,” DeVos said. “But we will not solve the significant and real problems our country faces if we cannot embrace this paradox of silence.”
Though she continued extolling the virtues of silence — assuming it’s accompanied by careful listening — DeVos didn’t deter students from ultimately voicing their opinions. “We will do well to first listen, study, ponder, then speak to genuinely engage those with whom we disagree,” DeVos noted. “Voices that are quiet at first, grow in strength while those who rush to shout are humbled.”
Her remarks at the university, which primarily services nontraditional students, also made the case for flexible approaches to education policy. “You are each unique, truly one of a kind,” DeVos told graduates, “And if that is the case, then we must admit that a one-size-fits-all approach to education, at any stage, will not work.”
