Ohio university freedom of expression statement

Ohio University Freedom of Expression statement From OU spokesman Daniel Pittman, regarding the review of Interim Policy 24.014 Freedom of Expression: In light of unfortunate events that occurred in Charlottesville and other violent protests that broke out across the country in the late summer, we felt a responsibility to clarify the right to assemble and speak on our campuses and to ensure safety of our students, faculty, staff, and community members. This is the background to our September 8, 2017 announcement of interim policy 24.014 Freedom of Expression.

The rationale for using an interim policy is two-fold: In March 2017, a judge found that the University lacked a clear written policy regarding use of the Baker Center rotunda and that the University’s practices with respect to assemblies indoors were inconsistent. Given summer session and the fact that many students and faculty were engaged in activities away from the University during the last few months, we did not believe we had adequate time to gain their input and secure approval for a new policy before the beginning of the academic year. So it was decided to create an interim policy that would provide guidance to the university community until a permanent policy could be approved through the formal review process.

In retrospect, it would have been best to complete the interim policy in time for consultation with University Senates before submitting it to the University community. However, we want to make it clear that the interim policy is a temporary step while we incorporate comments and recommendations from the university community, which will result in a permanent policy that expresses the broader values of our community of learning.

In the meantime, some of the initial feedback we received has raised the question that the policy constrains political speech. That is not our intent. Our policy must balance safety with protection of all constitutionally protected speech, regardless of content.

The collaborative review process will be fully transparent and consultative with the University Senates and other Reviewers. All students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to reach out to their respective Senate leaders to share their recommendations. The resulting permanent policy will uphold the core values of our institution. It is imperative that all members of our campus communities have an opportunity to be heard and that our University leadership understand their perspectives as we develop the final policy. We look forward to on-going, constructive dialogue.