Student Spotlight: Kenlee Foskey

FREE YOURSELF FROM THE FEAR OF CANCEL CULTURE

• “In order for students to stand up to chilled speech, we are going to have to release the fear of Cancel Culture and stop being worried about what people will think about us”

Kenlee Foskey
Mercer University
Majors: Marketing and Accounting
Minors: Political Science and Law and Public Policy

According to a recent Knight Foundation survey, fewer students believe that free speech is secure in America today. Why might they feel this way?

I believe that students feel this way because voicing your opinion can now come with consequences for many peoples’ grades as well as overall comfort on campus. The Cancel Culture that we now face is stronger than ever, especially on college campuses. Students have faced significant backlash for even doing something as small as voicing an opposing viewpoint. Universities are now enforcing different punishments for what some deem “offensive,” which is a completely subjective point of view. Overall, an overwhelming amount of students now feel like silence is their best and only option if they want to succeed.

As president of the Turning Point USA chapter at Mercer University, do you (and your viewpoints) feel welcome on campus?

I do not think our organization is openly welcomed on campus by a majority of the student body. Turning Point USA at Mercer seeks to be one of the few organizations on campus that welcomes conservative students and provides an outlet to express and develop their opinions.

As a contributor for Campus Reform, what has been the most shocking thing you have discovered in your reporting on liberal bias and abuse on America’s college campuses?

As a contributor for Campus Reform, the most shocking and disappointing thing I have written about was a pro-life display being destroyed. On a free speech wall at one university, a pro-life organization posted a memorial in honor of the lives lost to abortion. This memorial was then destroyed, pasted over, and mocked by other students who refused to accept a different point of view. I believe that a free speech wall should acknowledge and preserve all aspects of speech regardless if one agrees or disagrees with its contents.

In your opinion, what can students do to stand up to the culture of censorship and chilled speech in higher education?

In order for students to stand up to chilled speech, we are going to have to release the fear of Cancel Culture and stop being worried about what people will think about us. I have witnessed so many people on my campus be afraid to stand up for what they believe in and speak their mind. This has to end in order for the censorship and control to end.