Northwestern will limit official statements on “public or geopolitical matters except those related to the operation of the University,” University President Michael Schill and Provost Kathleen Hagerty announced in a Friday morning message to the NU community.
The decision comes seven weeks after the President’s Advisory Committee on Free Expression, convened by Schill in February, submitted a statement summarizing its six months of work and over 20 hours of discussion.
The advisory committee came to the conclusion after feedback from faculty that NU cannot condone speech that “threatens, harasses or defames other individuals” and that members of the NU community should not make official statements on behalf of the University or its constituent parts.
“By limiting University statements, we do not endorse a simplistic vision of ‘university neutrality,’” the statement reads. “The very reason for this limitation is our firm commitment to values about which we are not neutral: fostering open and equitable dialogue and advancing the university’s core mission—the pursuit of knowledge in the service of truth.”
While it allowed for an exception to this rule regarding issues that directly impact University operations, the committee noted that such exceptions should be rare “to avoid coercing dissenting community members into silence.” Notably, it did not endorse what it called “a simplistic vision of ‘university neutrality,’” but ultimately affirmed Schill’s Oct. 12, 2023, Message to Senior Leadership in which he wrote that the University should not speak on behalf of students, staff or faculty on controversial issues — a stance he later walked back in part following uproar from community stakeholders.
The statement comes after a tumultuous year for Schill — an ardent proponent of the “Chicago principles,” a guiding framework for universities to promote free expression that was crafted by a similar committee at the University of Chicago in 2014. Schill faced calls for his resignation earlier this year and testified before Congress’ “Calling for Accountability: Stopping Antisemitic College Chaos” hearing in May for concerns of an “inadequate” response to antisemitic rhetoric across NU’s campus.
Recently, the University suspended Medill Prof. Steven Thrasher’s fall classes, as he faces investigation for his involvement in the pro-Palestinian encampment on campus in April. According to Thrasher, NU informed him that it would investigate his “objectivity” and his social media use.
The committee, made up of 11 faculty members across various undergraduate and graduate schools at NU, also recommended the University review its policies with faculty, students and staff to ensure their “consistency” with these commitments.
While the statement did not directly touch on new demonstration and display policies announced by NU administrators earlier this month, it did conclude that “Northwestern has the right and duty to specify limits and boundaries of free expression with respect to time, place, and manner, and we note that the University can and should stipulate that violations of its policies entail consequences.”
The successful completion of the committee’s mission marks a win for Schill after his Advisory Committee on Preventing Antisemitism and Islamophobia dissolved in May following the resignation of several committee members. The committee’s four months were marked by internal strife and frustration with Schill’s decision not to consult the committee’s members on his agreement with student demonstrators to de-escalate the pro-Palestinian encampment on Deering Meadow.
“In addition to the potential for coercion, our decision also is based upon the concern that our speech on these matters should not be interpreted to represent or take precedence over the multiplicity of viewpoints that are essential to our University,” Schill and Hagerty wrote in the message.
According to the email, the statement was shared with the leadership of the Faculty Senate, college deans and members of the Board of Trustees over the past week. Schill and Hagerty wrote that they “look forward to continuing discussions with all of our constituents on how best to implement the values and prescriptions of the Advisory Committee.”
The decision also comes as several peer institutions are considering similar policies, including Harvard University, Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan.
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