From David French, former president of FIRE, current director of the Alliance Defense Fund's Center for Academic Freedom, and perennially wise commentator on campus speech:

Over at NRO's "other blog," Michael Rubin links to a Yale Daily News story about the plight of conservatives on campus. Intrigued, I clicked over and read the whole thing...now I want that 20 minutes of my life back.

When I speak on campus, one of the most frustrating experiences is hearing conservatives--and many faithful Christians--describe themselves as "silenced" or "afraid" to speak when there is no formal, legal barrier to their speech. I hear it all:

"I'm afraid to speak up or I get attacked in class."

"Professors ridicule me."

"I don't really like the conservative group that is on campus, so I don't know where to go."

"I'm concerned about my grades or recommendations, what do I do?"

I hear these complaints, and don't doubt their sincerity, but here is what these folks are really saying: "There are many things that I value far more than my conservative (or, sadly, Christian) principles, including the regard of all my peers, the ease of my academic career, and feeling welcome and accepted during the Thursday-Sunday party circuit. Please change the university so that I can speak my mind without any cost or consequence."

I have two words for these people: Cowboy up. If you are not actively being censored (and Yale is a "yellow light" school according to FIRE, so there is no policy that clearly limits student speech), speak up! If you don't like the current stable of conservative groups, create a new one or speak on your own. If you are afraid professors won't grade you fairly, put them to the test and respond appropriately if their bias manifests itself (you'll be surprised how well you might do). If you don't think people will like you, grow a thicker skin and see what happens. I still have dear lefty friends from my law school days, and I never pulled any punches in my conversations with them (and still don't). But, above all. Stop whining. Please.

As for the Christians who live in silent fear of peer pressure or the scorn of professors, well there is scripture that applies quite clearly.

The situation changes when there is actual censorship (i.e. a coercive effort to silence speech), but until then . . . fear not. And remember, these rights did not just spring spontaneously into being. Good men died (and are dying still) to create and preserve those rights. Don't dishonor their memory or scorn their sacrifice by valuing your peers' opinions over your own ability to speak the truth.

Sure, as French notes, there is a misguided and confused strain of thought among campus conservatives. These are the folks who want to be protected from views that differ from theirs (and so seem to endorse speech codes), who don't want to have to read books that challenge their beliefs (and so file lawsuits when the freshman reading project offends them), who indulge in whiny rhetoric about feeling unsafe when in the presence of opposing views (see above), and who may even think it would be a good idea to adopt a hiring agenda centered on bringing in more conservative faculty. In short--these are the folks who don't get it. They have adopted the tools of the campus left--an affect and an agenda oriented around speech codes, groupthink, and disregard for meritocracy. And, as French notes, that makes for mewling, cowardly stuff--no matter who's peddling it.

No one has the right not to be offended. And part of being a functional, engaged citizen is having convictions--and having the courage to stand by them.