You're missing the whole point. They don't want to protected from hearing new ideas. They want an opportunity to have a place where they can relax and let their hair down, so to speak.

This is what the student union used to be for in my day.

However I think that you are missing the point.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/03/23/infantilized-college-students-need-safe-spaces-to-avoid-scary-free-speech/
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=safe%20space
http://freebeacon.com/culture/safe-spaces/

You can try to spin it anyway you want to.