A growing number of colleges and universities are warning students ahead of time about material that students might find objectionable or traumatizing. Oberlin College is advising its faculty to “be aware of racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, cissexism, ableism and other issues of privilege and oppression” and to consider making such material—stuff that would trigger a potentially traumatic experience or flashback—optional. Many students are demanding trigger warnings be attached to controversial material: One Rutgers University sophomore proposed sticking a trigger warning on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby—a book often taught in high school—because of its themes of suicide, domestic abuse and graphic violence.

“Not everyone is in favor of such warnings. Judy Blume, author of such children’s classics as Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Superfudge, believes that college students should just grow up.

“Why are we treating college students like babies?” She says. “You’re supposed to be challenged in college. We can have our beliefs and still read and discuss things. We don’t have to become zealots and say, ‘This has to be removed, and this has to be removed,’ and, ‘You have to be warned here because oh, my goodness! Oh, my goodness!’ There are many, many challenges to books. All you have to do is look at a bulletin of the National Coalition Against Censorship or the ALA’s Freedom to Read newsletter and you will see that there are still plenty of things being challenged. The desire to censor or ban or challenge is contagious.” (Time)