Student Spotlight: Avery Round

Rejecting Hate, Embracing the Best of America

• “I chose to major in political science because I love this country. I want to play an active role in protecting our freedom and liberties, while also working to make America a better place.”
  
• “Professors have become fixated on indoctrinating their students with leftist ideology instead of providing students with necessary facts…”

Avery Round

University of Colorado at Denver

Major: Political Science

In recent years, American society has become very polarized when it comes to politics. With that in mind, why did you choose to major in political science? What are some challenges you anticipate with this field of study?

Since 2016, the political climate of America has turned into a vicious blame-game between both parties, and this has caused our nation to regress in so many ways. People, politicians, the media, and corporate America have become overly emotional, overly politicized, and overly sensitive. Being hateful has become normal, which makes it difficult for any meaningful change to happen. The real issues plaguing our country are drowned out because everyone is too busy pointing the finger at one another.

I chose to major in political science because I love this country. I want to play an active role in protecting our freedom and liberties, while also working to make America a better place. It is no secret that this is a pivotal time in American history considering the turmoil we face. Experiencing this firsthand has inspired me to come up with fresh, new ideas for this nation and our political system. We are at a turning point, and I believe I have so much to bring to the table when it comes to reviving America and bringing us out of this deadlock.

Are colleges teaching their students how to think or what to think? What has been your experience?

Higher education has transitioned from an environment where students are encouraged to form their own beliefs and opinions to a place where civil discourse and disagreement are heavily suppressed. Professors have become fixated on indoctrinating their students with leftist ideology instead of providing students with necessary facts they can use to make informed decisions about what they do and do not believe. I find this to be quite ironic considering the definition of a liberal arts education is freedom of thought and diversity of ideas. In reality, students are bullied into accepting opinion over fact.

Have you ever felt hesitant or afraid to share your viewpoint in the classroom setting? Why?

I have definitely felt afraid to share my viewpoint in the classroom setting. My professors have been very outspoken about their beliefs and how it pertains to class material, which makes me nervous about being discriminated against when it comes to my grades.

This fear-based indoctrination is detrimental to the development of my generation. College is a time when young adults have the opportunity to truly find themselves, their morals, beliefs, and way in the world. The current social and political climate simply does not allow for this type of authentic growth, which will lead to a complete lack of diversity in the future. I believe this is not only a threat to free speech, but to the integrity of American democracy.

In your opinions, are college administrators and professors modeling what it means to engage in civil discourse and academic debate? How can they do better?

To be blunt, I think college administrators and professors are doing a terrible job at encouraging civil discourse and academic debate. The implementation of things like Bias Reporting Systems/Teams at universities is just one example of intimidation tactics that universities use to promote their own agendas rather than let students be free to share their thoughts and inspire others through their opinions. Instead, students are forced to come to the same conclusions due to the lack of free-flowing thought. Professors do not help this situation by relentlessly pushing their own views on their students. To combat this, I think professors need to take their own opinions out of the classroom and instead promote respectful debate. When academic leaders remain objective, it fosters a healthier and safer environment for students to exchange ideas.

In the age of “cancel culture” do you worry about posting your opinions online? Have you ever been hazed or canceled on social media?

In this age of cancel culture that we find ourselves in, I am incredibly concerned about posting my opinions online and how it could potentially affect me today and in the future. I have not personally fallen victim to cancel culture, however there are multiple people close to me who have had both jobs and relationships ruined due to this toxic trend. Cancel culture is ironic because the thought behind it is to call out “bad” people for their “wrongdoings” to make the world a better place, but in reality it fosters an incredibly harmful environment of blame and hate. Cancel culture does nothing but promote anger and resentment and prevent society from making strides toward positive change.