On Monday evening in the Pioneer Reading Room, an English professor and Political Science professor facilitated a discussion forum for students, faculty, and staff on free speech.

Due to the recent event on campus last Wednesday regarding the “free speech ball,” more specifically, Pepe the frog being drawn on the ball, there was a lot of outcry by students and faculty about what the ball was representing and what was being put on the ball.

Linfield College’s lawyer read the policies of harassment that can be viewed in the student handbook, faculty handbook, and on the Linfield website. He emphasized that those policies have been unchanged for several decades.

Representatives from the Young Americans for Liberty club at Linfield College were able to answer questions posed by students and faculty in the discussion, which turned into a heated conversation about ethics and responsibility. The members of the club that attended did not intend to harm, but the impact was shed in a very negative light.

Many students and faculty shared discomfort regarding the implications of the actions by the club on campus, being called “liberal snowflakes” and being told their feelings didn’t matter, liberals were just being sensitive.

Other topics that were brought up were about the speaker, Jordan Peterson, who will be speaking on Monday, April 24th in ICE auditorium that much of the attendees were concerned about the safety and well being of the students, regarding his stance and rhetoric on those that do not fit the gender binary.

The representatives for the club believe that presenting an alternative view is a good idea, which is why they are bringing Jordan Peterson to campus, as well as showing The Red Pill at a later date.

The president of the club asked for forgiveness at the end of the forum and people responded that their response post-discussion will determine whether or not they earn forgiveness for their actions.