I.  Freedom of Speech

The commitment to free speech and freedom of inquiry described in this policy extends to all members of the UO community: faculty, staff, and students. It also extends to all others who visit or participate in activities held on the UO campus.

Free speech is central to the academic mission and is the central tenet of a free and democratic society. The university encourages and supports open, vigorous, and challenging debate on all issues of interest to the community. Further, as a public institution, the university will sustain a higher and more open standard for freedom of inquiry and free speech than may be expected or preferred in private settings.

Free inquiry and free speech are the cornerstones of an academic institution committed to the creation and transfer of knowledge. Expression of diverse points of view is crucial for learning and understanding, not solely for those who present and defend a view but for those who hear, disagree, and pass judgment on those views. The belief that an opinion is false, pernicious, despicable, detestable, or offensive cannot be grounds for its suppression.

The university supports free speech with vigor, including the right of presenters to offer opinion, the right of the audience to hear what is presented, and the right of protesters to challenge ideas, so long as protest does not disrupt or stifle the free exchange of ideas. It is the responsibility of speakers, listeners, and all members of our community to respect others and to promote a culture of mutual inquiry throughout the university community (see Community Standards Affirmation in the Related Resources Section).

II.  Academic Freedom

The university also affirms its commitment to Academic Freedom including in the special contexts of scholarship, creative production, teaching, governance, and public service.

a. SCHOLARSHIP. The university's research mission requires that members of the UO community have autonomous freedom to conduct research and produce creative work, and to publish and disseminate that work, limited only by the standards and methods of accountability established by their individual professions and disciplines.

b. TEACHING. The university’s responsibility to help students think critically and independently requires that members of the university community have the right to investigate and discuss matters, including those that are controversial, inside and outside of class, without fear of institutional restraint. Matters brought up in class should be related to the subjects of courses or otherwise be educationally relevant, as determined primarily by the faculty member in charge of the class.

c. POLICY AND SHARED GOVERNANCE. Members of the university community have freedom to address, question, or criticize any matter of institutional policy or practice, whether acting as individuals or within an agency of institutional governance.

d. PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. Public engagement requires that members of the university community have freedom to participate in public debate, both within and beyond their areas of expertise, and to address both the university community and the larger society on any matter of social, political, economic, cultural, or other interest. In their exercise of this freedom, university community members have the right to identify their association or title but should not claim to be acting or speaking on behalf of the university unless authorized to do so.

These freedoms derive immediately from the university’s basic commitment to advancing knowledge and understanding. The academic freedoms describe above shall be exercised without fear of institutional reprisal. Only serious abuses of this policy – ones that rise to the level of professional misbehavior or professional incompetence – should lead to adverse consequences. Any such determinations shall be made in accordance with established, formal procedures involving judgment by relevant peers.

As a matter of policy, the university does not attempt to control, sway, or limit the personal opinion or expression of that opinion of any employee or student. In the exercise of this freedom of expression, employees and students should manifest appropriate restraint, should show respect for the opinions of others, and should make every effort to indicate that they do not speak on behalf of the university.