高等教育与自由开放探究的承诺

发送日期:2021年9月10日

发件人:文森特·J. 德尔·卡西诺.他是教务长兼学术事务高级副校长

亲爱的同事们,

我们似乎正处在一个转折点上. 在这一点上，也许是一种紧张 一个富有成效的问题——问什么构成了强有力的、公开的辩论? 这场辩论是 not just on campuses but in our wider world, where people are calling into question, for example, the science of vaccination or the efficacy of certain approaches to the 文科. 

As we all know, within higher education specifically, academics have long disagreed 在政治上，理论上，和方法上. 其中一些辩论 might have been considered “healthy” in the past, even though they were often based in exclusionary and elitist practices that have served to marginalize many voices. As we know, power and authority in the academy has also been used to directly squash 随着时间的推移，某些观点. 造成这一结果的部分原因是 the academy is also governed by a murky and uneven political economy that privileges 某些声音凌驾于他人之上.  

Within this complicated reality, we find ourselves engaging in critical questions about what and how to manage the relations that are both part of our academic life 生活的外部. 换句话说，我们必须与学生和同事打交道 who may challenge the way that truth gets defined and articulated or how certain lived experiences are complicated by systemic practices that many would consider unjust. Those students and colleagues are drawing not just from their own academic background 还有他们自己的个人和生活经历.

Of course, this messy world is further complicated by academic freedom and first amendment 权利. 言论很难监管——也应该如此. 在学术的背景下 freedom, faculty members have the right to openly critique and criticize authority, 互相提问，挑战学生. 言论和表达自由不复存在 further, in that it provides an opportunity to share ideas quite broadly. 这并 not mean, however, that we have to like what others say, but universities are obligated 为人们提供表达的空间.

也有例外. 例如，当一个人或一个团体的言论威胁到身体时 harm to or unlawfully harasses another person or group, a university may impose sanctions. There is also the situation whereby the 演讲 of 一个 person or group knowingly or 肆意诽谤他人或侵犯他人隐私权的. 这样的讲话可能 受地方和联邦法律的约束. 在学术自由的背景下，我们也 have campus processes (and external accreditation bodies) as well as policies on curriculum and course syllabi, which govern the content of individual courses or programs. 

In general, however, most 演讲 is protected 演讲 and no matter what we think about some一个’s 演讲, it is not up to the university (or its administration) to judge 该说什么，由谁说. 大学必须尽可能提供平等的机会 它可以用于所有的辩论. 这种对平等机会的承诺意味着，即使有人 administrator or another vehemently disagrees with the 演讲 of another community member, they have to manage and protect the 权利 of all community members to speak 自由公开. 无论如何，我们不能干涉受保护的言论 我们想起了那次演讲.

So, what is the best way to confront 演讲 we might find abhorrent, distasteful or, 很简单，不是这样的? 答案是更多的言论，然后是更多的言论. 也就是说, we must acknowledge the emotional labor that goes into some struggles; there is a clear need for more voices to be at the table, including those who might be directly 受这种言论及其盟友的影响. 挑选要处理的问题 up and which 一个s to walk away from —  a personal decision that might change depending on the day and 一个’s energy level —  is a necessary part of our reality as well. 

我不是naïve. 我知道竞争环境并不公平. 我了解历史 造成了这个不平衡的领域. 同时，我不能要求，也不能创造 demands on my colleagues who choose to write certain opinions or publish certain papers that I, or others, might find politically, ethically, or morally problematic. 不管 of job title or level, we must respect every一个’s right to free 演讲, and it is incumbent on our leaders to give colleagues’ work — whether they 就我个人而言 align 不管你是否拥有它——被他人分享和观看的空间. 

Given all that is going on in the world today, I hope that we can continue to engage each other in an h一个st and open debate about what matters to us professionally and 就我个人而言. 我们可以不喜欢别人说的话——强烈地、充满激情地 事实. When people say something out loud, they should be prepared for others to exercise their right to respond, as others have a right to challenge the ideas of their colleagues in a robust way as long as it does not infringe on another person’s right to their 演讲. 

If we don’t protect these 权利, universities will lose 一个 of their core functions, which is to develop theories, ideas, and practices that help advance the well-being of others and take up the very real and, sometimes, scary challenges that lie ahead. 

真诚地,
文