The University of Michigan has updated its free speech guidelines and the free exchange of ideas in ways it says are “guided by the spirit and the letter of the First Amendment.”
The university’s board of regents voted unanimously to approve a new statement of principles on Tuesday. The statement of principles updates a university free speech policy that dates back to the 1980s.
U of M officials said the document has been in the works since the summer, and is not a direct response to criticism from some students and free speech advocates like the ACLU of Michigan that the university has attempted to stifle speech related to the Israel-Hamas war. They said the principles try to adhere to fostering the free exchange of ideas, while making clear that “all ideas are not equal and there are limits to free speech” and that disrupting or preventing some form of speech from occurring is tantamount to suppression by authorities.
U of M trustee Mark Bernstein said that “These principles declare unequivocally that cancel culture is dead at the University of Michigan.”
“We are a public university with a long and proud history of robust engagement on issues of great societal consequence,” Bernstein said.
Provost Laurie McCauley said that as the society around the university evolves, the university must evolve too. “One perennial challenge is ensuring that our commitment to free expression and academic freedom remains intact,” she said.
University officials said the next step is convening a panel to decide the best way to put the principles into practice across U of M’s three campuses. The goal is to make further adjustments before the start of the next academic year in August 2024, U of M said in a statement.
“Open inquiry and spirited debate are critical for promoting discovery and creativity, for creating and advancing knowledge, and for preparing our students to be informed and actively engaged in our democracy,” U of M President Santa Ono said in a prepared statement to the board.
“At this time of great division, it is more important than ever that we come together in a shared commitment to pluralism, to mutual respect and to freedom of speech and diversity of thought at this great public university.”
Editor’s note: The University of Michigan holds Michigan Public’s license.
