Editor’s Note: Maanya Pande is a frequent contributor to The Daily Campus.
The University of Connecticut Debate Club held a Free Speech Awareness event on Thursday, Nov. 6, highlighting the importance of open dialogue and empowering students to use their voices to pursue truth through vigorous debate.
The event featured Professor Amanda Crawford, a veteran political journalist and an associate professor of journalism at UConn, who spoke about the historical and contemporary significance of free speech and freedom of the press.
The evening opened with remarks from Maanya Pande, the Debate Club’s public relations officer and the event’s primary organizer. Pande is a third-semester political science and human development and family sciences major on the pre-law track. Her speech reflected on her experience reviving her high school newspaper and navigating the boundaries of free speech and freedom of the press within school policies.
“Free speech is not something to be taken for granted, but something to be defended,” Pande said. “Discomfort isn’t failure; it’s growth.” She urged attendees to use their voices and engage in debate, even when conversations feel uncomfortable.
Professor Crawford then explored freedom of speech and the press from a historical perspective, quoting Thomas Jefferson, who emphasized that informed and critical citizenry is essential to democracy. She also cited Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., who said that “the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market.”
Crawford explained that while the government — and by extension, public institutions like UConn — cannot discriminate against individuals for the content of their speech. However, there are time, place and manner restrictions students must understand to protect themselves.
The discussion extended into current events, touching on recent controversies affecting free speech and press freedom — specifically, President Donald Trump’s exclusion of the Associated Press from White House press conferences and the temporary suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s show following comments about conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
“We do not have to agree on policy or politics to agree on free speech,” Crawford said, stating that “vigorous, immediate media criticism of those in power” is vital to democracy.
Crawford concluded by encouraging students to stay informed, engage critically with media and resist political polarization to protect and sustain free speech on college campuses.
The goal of the event was for people to “be able to openly discuss their own views and thoughts on issues,” said Anagha Khisti, co-president of the Debate Club. “In the current political climate, that’s become really difficult to do.”
The UConn Debate Club, newly established this semester, aims to create a space for students to practice critical thinking, public speaking and respectful discourse. The club welcomes new members and encourages students of all majors to attend future meetings and events.
“For us, it’s very important to be engaged with our community. That’s one of our core values,” co-president Akshaj Ganta added.
Attendee Sanhita Kancharla, a third-semester physiology and neurobiology major, said the event offered a valuable perspective outside her usual field. “I thought it was informational, and especially since I’m a STEM major, it was nice to hear about this kind of stuff: journalism and the history of the press,” she said.