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Opting out has its place.

But college might not be the right place to shy away from the uncomfortable.

A new nationwide poll of university instructors found few work at institutions that require so-called "trigger warnings" for students whose previous experiences make them likely to be traumatized by class material or discussions.

But debate about the warnings continues as students assert their rights and college administrators try to adapt.

"I think we're getting better about talking about difficult topics," said Westminster College Provost Lisa Gentile. "We're having conversations about things that, 10 or 15 years ago, we wouldn't have been talking about."

Utah's public and private universities are not uninitiated to controversy about academic rigor and student sensitivities. And most have incorporated plans for handling students' requests for warnings.

Proponents of the warnings believe that they are a necessary stamp on syllabi, as sensitive material can set off post-traumatic stress disorder. A heads-up, and being allowed to sit out a class if need be, are crucial in preventing some students from reliving instances of rape, abuse, racism and other traumatic experiences, supporters say.

But many instructors across the country argue that classrooms are not the proper venue for checking out. Intellectual rigor requires minds to grapple with sometimes tough ideas.

"That's a skill faculty and students are going to need to have — to function in an environment that may be painful to them," Gentile said.

Westminster, like most Utah colleges, has no explicit policy related to trigger warnings.

Still, faculty members at the school of about 3,000 have the school's permission to "ease into conversations" and work one-on-one with students whose own experiences lead them to object to sensitive material, Gentile said.

That forewarning is not a bad idea, but should not be required, either, said Holly Mullen, executive director of the Rape Recovery Center and an occasional adjunct instructor at the University of Utah.

"In terms of the violence of sexual assault and rape," said Mullen, "it certainly doesn't hurt to give a warning or a heads-up that there might be some difficult readings."

Nationally, the debate has grown as Oberlin College, an Ohio liberal arts school of about 3,000, briefly required faculty to provide the disclaimers with an eye toward "racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, cissexism, ableism, and other issues of privilege and oppression." (Cissexism is defined as bias against those who are transgender or have nonbinary or androgynous gender identity.

Oberlin tossed the policy after criticism from school staff and others who said it would dismantle academic freedom.

Despite the national tension, a recent informal survey suggests such policies are rare.

The College Art Association and Modern Language Association, along with the National Coalition Against Censorship, which opposes requiring faculty disclaimers, conducted the nonscientific poll and released the results in June.

Less than 1 percent of responding colleges had adopted a policy on trigger warnings.

Of faculty members surveyed, 23 percent said they have voluntarily provided warnings several times. Fifteen percent of faculty indicated that students in their classes have requested warnings. And roughly 12 percent of respondents report that students have complained — either to the instructor or to administrators — about the failure to provide warnings.

Similar debates have flared at the U., leading the school to make accommodations for students if class material conflicts with a "sincerely held core belief."

The policy was established to settle a high-profile lawsuit in 2004. Theater student Christina Axson-Flynn, 24, sued the university in federal court, saying having to recite lines that included the f-word and took the Lord's name in vain violated her right to free speech and religion.

Axson-Flynn, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said she feared retaliation from professors for not reciting lines that offended her.

The new policy leaves it up to students to make their concerns known.

Still, as an added measure, some instructors at the U. and other Utah schools take a more proactive approach, urging students to read class plans carefully to determine whether they should stay enrolled or meet with professors to determine whether accommodations are needed.

At LDS Church-owned Brigham Young University, it is up to professors to determine if a heads-up is necessary.

At Southern Utah University in Cedar City, students seeking arrangements for past trauma must register with a campus disabilities coordinator, who makes the call based on the recommendations of a psychologist.

Students at SUU are "really good at letting my office know about their triggers and their needs for their classrooms," coordinator Carmen Alldredge said in a statement.

For those who have survived sexual assault, "being triggered is part of the process" of overcoming the trauma, said Mullen. "Facing the fears and anxieties is part of the process."

But proper support, she noted, is key. Faculty members should know where to refer students for counseling and other services. As more colleges push for awareness related to Title IX policies and sexual assault, instructors better understand how to make accommodations, said Gentile.

"We're not going to put an end to the issue if we're not confronting it," she said. "Sweeping it under the rug and pretending it's not happening on our campus is not the way to go."

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