This resource is intended to provide general guidance to faculty about Academic Freedom, emphasize the importance of campus safety and disseminate the content of important policies, expectations and supportive resources related to civil discourse. In alignment with our shared priorities and institutional values, a core set of operating principles has helped guide our decision-making in response to protest activity.
[Taken from Faculty Handbook - Academic Freedom]
Michigan State University adheres to the principles of academic freedom with correlative responsibilities as stated by the American Association of University Professors, the Association of American Colleges and other organizations:
Teachers are entitled to freedom in research and in the publication of the results. Teachers are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject, and should exercise discretion and professionalism when discussing political topics unrelated to the subject.
College and university teachers are citizens, members of a learned profession, and officers of an educational institution. When they speak or write as citizens, they should be free from institutional censorship or discipline. As scholars and educational officers, they should remember that the public may judge their profession and their institution by their utterances. Hence, they should be accurate, should exercise appropriate restraint, should show respect for the opinions of others, and should make every effort to indicate that they are not speaking for the institution.
Principal elements: [Taken from Faculty Rights and Responsibilities Policy]:
For faculty members, the principal elements of academic freedom include:
In sum, academic freedom allows faculty to teach, research, and publish without fear of censorship or retribution. It protects their right to explore, discuss, and express ideas, even if those ideas are controversial or unpopular. It is essential for advancing knowledge and encouraging critical thinking.
The following links provide tips, resources and services to help with classroom management.
Find below resources on how to handle discussions about current events in class:
Your sense of safety and security on campus is important to me as your educator, and it is fundamental to your capacity to learn. Below are some of the ways the university strives to make campus as safe as possible.
Additional steps to increase your safety on campus:
For questions related to campus safety and security, please visit the MSU DPPS Safety Tips webpage.
MSU is committed to defending the core value of academic freedom and ensuring the personal safety of everyone in our university community. When MSU scholars experience online attacks through social media and other channels, a variety of resources can be accessed depending on the nature of the attack. Learn more at the handling online attacks resource.
Support for online attacks (also known as doxing, trolling or zoom bombing) can be viewed here.
MSU welcomes the opportunity to model respectful civil discourse around challenging issues. Such modelling is one of the critically important societal responsibilities of a public higher education institution.
Diverse viewpoints and perspectives are permitted and encouraged, and the university will not curtail these voices. All are encouraged to participate in a manner that is appropriate and respectful.
It is important to remember, while the First Amendment protects freedom of speech and expression, it does not protect engagement in civil disobedience. By definition, “civil disobedience” involves the violation of laws or regulations.