The principle of free speech demands we allow protests to take place on college campuses. But must we merely tolerate campus demonstrations, or do we have some deeper stake in allowing them to continue—even when they are loud, impulsive, and irritating to the surrounding society?

That question goes to the heart of universities’ civic mission: We should want our colleges to educate citizens who will be not only skillful thinkers, listeners, and speakers but also engaged proponents of this country’s ideals. Young people develop civic competence by experimenting with political action as well as by participating in respectful classroom discussions. Much of collegiate learning occurs through extracurricular activities. Some of these activities—such as debate clubs—are widely celebrated, wherea

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