After a year taut with tension after on-campus protests, Wake Forest University released a draft statement of freedom of expression and academic freedom.
The draft statement was posted on Feb. 11. According to the university, the statement has been in the drafting process since July. Provost Michelle Gillespie appointed a team of eight faculty and staff members within the university to draft the statement, which is currently going through a lengthy review process.
The draft statement comes after new regulations for freedom of speech and expression were posted by the university in August, following the pro-Palestine protest that evolved into an encampment last spring. In the policy, the university made limitations on when and where demonstrations, chalking and posting may occur on campus.
Matthew Clifford, vice president of campus life and dean of students, was one of the eight faculty and staff members on the drafting team. In an email to the Old Gold & Black, Clifford talked about the catalyst for the draft.
“Free expression has been a big deal at Wake Forest and a strong part of the University culture, but it wasn’t written down in a single, shared document,” Clifford said. “We’ve seen recently that it would be beneficial to have shared language so that we can have difficult conversations about the nature of our community and so that when any one of us wants to express ourselves, we can feel comfortable about the protections available and the responsibilities that come along with them.”
Members of the Wake Forest community can submit feedback on the draft statement via a form on the university website.
Overview of the statement
The draft emphasizes Wake Forest’s history of inciting respectful discourse and encouraging debate, saying the university “protected protesting students during the Civil Rights movement, [and] allowed unpopular speakers in the 1970s.”
The university also states a commitment to upholding freedom of expression and academic freedom.
However, there are some limits.
According to the draft statement, “Wake Forest may restrict expression that constitutes a direct threat, unlawful harassment, or which otherwise violates the law. The University may also reasonably regulate the time, place, and manner of expression to ensure the regular and continued operations of the University and the ability of others to express themselves consistent with this statement.”
The university also outlined its ‘institutional voice’ and upholds that its key role is to “generate and disseminate knowledge in our society,”
“The University and its leaders will not, however, establish a single University point of view about public matters that do not directly affect the University’s core function,” the draft statement said.
The section upholds that community members speak on behalf of themselves, not the university.
The document also outlines a commitment to an inclusive collegiate community.
In tandem, the university posted a preamble, which outlines the context and university history behind the draft statement. Included are six ‘notes’ sections, which give reasoning behind the main points outlined in the draft statement.
Timeline of the drafting process
From September to October, the drafting team met with several campus leadership groups, including the Provost’s Student Leadership Advisory Group, Staff Advisory Council, Faculty Senate Executive Committee, Student Government and the Deans Council. These meetings included early feedback and a review of the policy.
According to the university, from February to March, the drafting process will go through ‘campus conversations’.
“[The university] will host discussions about the draft statement to share ideas and then report feedback,” the university said. “Some of these conversations will take place in existing groups, while others will bring together Wake Forest community members from an array of backgrounds in the spirit of the valuable civil discourse that the free expression statement is meant to encourage and protect.”
On Founders Day, Feb. 20., Dean of the Law School Andrew Klein will speak about freedom of expression and academic freedom.
“We need a starting place for community conversation about what free expression and academic freedom mean at Wake Forest,” the university said.
Editor’s note: At the time of publication, Matthew Clifford spoke on behalf of the eight faculty and staff members on the drafting committee. This is a developing story.
