Community Input Requested on CMU's Freedom of Expression Policy and Guidance

March 11, 2025

Dear Members of the CMU Community:

In 2020, President Farnam Jahanian charged a  Commission on Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression to review our policies and practices related to academic freedom and freedom of expression, create forums for meaningful discussion about these foundational principles, and explore how these values advance our academic mission. The Commission completed its work in 2022 and released its final report and recommendations at that time. One outcome of this report was the establishment of an Implementation Steering Committee, which has since been working to put these recommendations into action.

At the suggestion of the Implementation Steering Committee, and drawing on the extensive work of the Commission, we have made proposed updates to the existing Freedom of Expression Policy and the newly developed Freedom of Expression Guidance. The Freedom of Expression Policy retains the Policy Statement that has been in place for over 50 years, underscoring that CMU continues to value the freedoms of speech, thought, expression and assembly both in themselves and as part of our core educational and intellectual mission.

These documents have been socialized with and reviewed by various faculty, staff and student leadership groups. Today, in accordance with the university’s Policy on Policy Development, we write to share these updates and ask for your review and input before they are finalized. To provide feedback on the updated Freedom of Expression Policy and Freedom of Expression Guidance, please do so via the Comment Form by Thursday, April 10, 2025, at noon. As part of this effort, you are also welcome to comment on the Expressive Activity Registration Guidelines, which were published at the start of the 2024-2025 academic year.

To support our ongoing commitment to education on these critical topics, recordings of previous discussions and forums related to academic freedom and freedom of expression are available on the Commission’s website. We encourage the CMU community to engage with these resources for continued learning and reflection on these important principles.

We value your input and are committed to maintaining an environment of open dialogue and transparent communication. Your engagement in this process is essential in these efforts to uphold CMU’s core principles of academic freedom and freedom of expression.

Sincerely,

James H. Garrett Jr.
Provost and Chief Academic Officer

Gina Casalegno
Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students