“The University of Chicago’s College Council condemns Booth professor Luigi Zingales’ decision to invite Steve Bannon to speak at the University of Chicago. Regardless of Bannon’s political acumen or experience, he does not make worthwhile contributions to the marketplace of ideas. Zingales’ decision to invite Bannon to speak forcibly forces students to be linked to and support a man who considers them subhuman, and whose views are little more than thinly-veiled white supremacy. All members of the University community need to take a critical look at the kind of atmosphere we’re fostering and the viewpoints we are legitimizing, and ask ourselves what constitutes meaningful, respectful engagement. 

 

As such, the University of Chicago’s College Council declares its support for student groups protesting Prof. Zingales’ invitation of Steve Bannon to speak on campus. Cognizant of the divisive, demeaning, and destructive impact that Steve Bannon has had on the nation, College Council actively encourages student-led protests of the event, in order to demonstrate that free speech goes both ways. College Council recognizes that open discourse is an essential characteristic of life at UChicago, and as such embraces the idea that peaceful protest, demonstration, and activism epitomize free speech and must be encouraged. For all members of the UChicago community impacted by the Bannon’s arrival on campus: the only way to defeat division and prejudice is by actively opposing it.”