The Working Group on Free Speech plans to compile feedback in the form of polls and discussion groups on its report that details recommendations for Syracuse University free speech policy.

The workgroup was created in February in response to resolutions passed by the Student Association, Graduate Student Organization and Student Bar Association in fall 2014 that said SU’s current computer and electronic policy is vague, broad and stifles academic freedom.

David Rubin, dean emeritus of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and chair of the Working Group on Free Speech, said during the workgroup’s first meeting, the decision was made to expand the mission of the group from recommendations on the free speech of the university’s computer and electronic policy to a broad look at all of SU’s free speech policies.

“That’s not what the First Amendment is about,” he said. “The First Amendment covers speech in all its forms.”

After the workgroup met a handful of times in the spring 2015 semester, Rubin began the first draft of the report over the summer. Once the report was sent to the other workgroup members for review, Rubin submitted the final report to Chancellor Kent Syverud at the end of September.

For the “when restricting speech is acceptable” section of the report, Rubin said the group looked at standards of many other universities before modeling its recommendations after Mississippi State University’s policy. This section recommends that SU is entitled to limit speech or assembly if it threatens “to make it difficult or impossible for the university” to follow the university’s educational mission.

“We want there to be discussion about this. We expect (this section) will get a lot of discussion,” Rubin said. “My only view is you’re not entitled to be critical unless you have something better to propose.”

The workgroup is collaborating with Kevin Quinn, SU’s senior vice president for public affairs, to create a poll where people can comment on different sections of the report and the report in general, Rubin said. The workgroup will then evaluate the responses and move on to create forums where members of the group will moderate debate of the report.

Rubin said the hope for the workgroup is to take recommendations from the SU community and revise the language in all of SU’s existing free speech documents. He added that he hopes all SU free speech policy will be located in one place so that not only the SU community, but potential students can see what the university’s stance on free speech is.

“It’s quite clear that freedom of speech is a very, very important topic now on college campuses,” Rubin said. “We think this report comes at exactly the right time for Syracuse.”

The working group will not meet again until the data from the polls are received, Rubin said.

In an Oct. 1 letter sent by Syverud to the leaders of University Senate, Student Association, Graduate Student Association and the Student Bar Association, Syverud asked that the leaders work with the Working Group for Free Speech to receive feedback on the recommendations.

In the letter, Syverud asked the four organizations to send him a single report, “representing the recommendations by all four organizations,” by April 15, 2016.

Can Isik, chair of the University Senate Agenda Committee, said he plans to discuss the workgroup’s recommendations at the next University Senate meeting. He said he thinks “it’s a very good report” that was “very comprehensively done.”

Can Aslan, president of GSO, said he distributed copies of the report to GSO members during the organization’s meeting last week.

Overall, Aslan said he likes the report and agrees with the “when restricting speech is acceptable” section of the report, specifically when the speech disrupts education.

“That’s when there should be an exception to the policy, but that can’t be put in vague terms, so that’s why we need to have discussions,” Aslan said.

The number one goal of the workgroup, said Janine Bogris, a sophomore public communications major and undergraduate member of the Working Group for Free Speech, is the educational mission of the university.

“We’re going to respond the way the student body wants us to,” Bogris said. “We do want to spread the word and get feedback from our different constituencies.

Published on November 18, 2015 at 11:23 pm

Contact Katelyn: kmfaubel@syr.edu