More Students Endorse an Expansive Definition of ‘Harm.’ Colleges Aren’t So Sure.

A series of recent campus-speaker flare-ups has highlighted how college students are redefining “harm” as something that threatens not only their physical safety, but also their emotional safety. While that’s not a new idea, experts say, today’s students are more attuned to potential impacts of harm. With this expanded definition comes a greater expectation that colleges protect their students from threats to their psychological well-being, including by condemning certain speakers and canceling their appearances.