I-110 Academic Freedom and Responsibility

In adopting the following statements concerning academic freedom and responsibility, the College affirms its commitment to academic freedom and freedom of expression in the pursuit of truth in teaching and learning. Academic freedom should not be abridged or abused, and the College joins the numerous other organizations that have endorsed such principles.

ACADEMIC FREEDOM

The College exists for the common good, not to further the particular interests of individual Faculty members or Administrators. The common good relies upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to teaching and other Faculty duties. Academic freedom is fundamental for the protection of the rights of Faculty in teaching and of Students’ rights in freedom of learning. Academic freedom carries with it both rights and responsibilities.

Faculty members' mastery of their subjects and scholarship grants them freedom to present and teach their course material. Faculty have the right to discuss relevant subject matter freely in the classroom while exercising responsible judgment not to introduce unrelated controversial topics. It is improper for a Faculty member to introduce material with no relation to subjects or topics taught in a course. They must present the subject matter of their course as published in the syllabus and as approved by the Faculty within their collective responsibility for the curriculum.

Because academic freedom traditionally includes the Faculty member's full freedom as a citizen, most Faculty members do not face irreconcilable conflicts between their political, social, and moral obligations to Students, colleagues, and institutions. However, if conflicts arise and become acute such that a Faculty member cannot fulfill their academic duties due to their civic or moral commitments, they must take responsibility for that choice. In such cases, they should either request a leave of absence, resign their academic position, or be subject to disciplinary action.

ACADEMIC RESPONSIBILITY

Faculty members are citizens, members of a profession, and representatives of the College. When speaking or writing as citizens, Faculty should be free from institutional censorship or discipline. However, the Faculty’s special position in the community imposes special responsibilities. As college representatives the public may judge the institution by the communications of its Faculty. In public settings, the College expects all Employees to exercise accuracy, self-restraint, and respect for the opinions of others, in addition to indicating that individuals are not acting as institutional representatives.

Membership in the academic community obligates Students, Faculty members, and Employees to respect others’ dignity, acknowledge their right to express differing opinions, and to foster and defend intellectual honesty, freedom of inquiry and instruction, and free expression on and off campus. Dissent and advocacy for change must not be carried out in ways that harm individuals, damage institutional facilities or disrupt College classes.

Speakers on campus must be protected from violence and given an opportunity to be heard. Grievances must be expressed without significantly impeding the functions of the institution. Students are entitled to a conducive learning environment and fair treatment in all aspects of the teacher-student relationship. Faculty members may not refuse to enroll or teach Students on the grounds of their beliefs or the possible uses to which they may put the knowledge to be gained in a course. Students should not be forced to make personal choices as to political action or their part of society. Evaluation of Students and the award of credit must be based on professionally judged academic performance, not on matters irrelevant to that performance, such as personality, race, religion, degree of political activism, or personal beliefs.