During recent discussions about diversity at Kansas University, much has been said about students being “uncomfortable.”

It seems worth saying that part of the purpose of higher education is to expose students to thoughts and ideas that may make them uncomfortable. Creating an atmosphere where both students and faculty members are able to express and discuss difficult and controversial ideas is essential to the mission of a university.

There certainly is a distinction between being uncomfortable and being exposed to a hostile learning environment. Discrimination based on race, gender or other factors can’t be tolerated. It’s not OK for students to be made to feel uncomfortable because of who they are; but it’s arguably necessary for them to face issues that could make them uncomfortable.

In an effort to guarantee a comfortable environment for students, universities run the risk of insulating them from the world to the extent that it hampers their academic development. It sometimes is said that the current generation of college students was raised in an environment where everything they did was rewarded; everyone got a trophy. If things weren’t going well, there was always someone — parents, teachers, school administrators — to fix it for them. Why wouldn’t students who bring that attitude to college expect never to have to deal with anything that makes them uncomfortable?

For better or worse, a university education is about exploring ideas that may upset many students’ assumptions about the world and themselves. That may make them uncomfortable, but it also is key to learning — not only about academic subjects but about life in general. Unfortunately, there’s nothing new about students worrying that disagreeing with a teacher may affect their grade. Handling such conflicts in a reasonable way is something they will be called upon to do many times after they leave the university.

KU officials are right to take seriously some of the stories they are hearing about students experiencing discrimination or harassment, but it may be asking too much of the university to shield its faculty, staff or students from all discomfort.