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The working group tasked with developing Syracuse University’s updated stance on academic freedom and free speech has unanimously endorsed and signed its final “Syracuse Statement,” according to a Wednesday SU News release.

The document, titled “Syracuse Statement on Free Expression and Free Inquiry,” outlines several commitments related to faculty and student speech on campus. It also affirms the university’s neutral stance on “current controversies,” stating that SU will not issue statements on such matters. The statement is dated May 7.

“The ‘Syracuse Statement’ reinforces our steadfast commitment to the principles of free expression and free inquiry to ensure free speech and academic freedom flourish,” Chancellor Kent Syverud said in the release.

According to Wednesday’s release, the statement aims to emphasize how academic and free speech fit within the university’s mission as well as promote on-campus civil discourse. It also states that faculty have the right to engage in relevant academic discussions and “pursue scholarly work without intimidation.”

The statement highlights the importance of promoting “free expression and free inquiry” and “open deliberation” on campus. It also clarifies that these principles have limits, stating that the university will restrict speech “intended to incite violence, harass an individual based upon a protected characteristic, or which otherwise violates the law.”

The institutional neutrality portion is meant to encourage free expression and participation in discourse without fear of university retaliation, according to the statement.

“At the same time, the University’s commitment to institutional neutrality is not meant to restrict the free expression rights of individual members of the University community, but that expression cannot commit the University to positions that go beyond the University’s stated academic mission or its protection,” the statement reads.

Other than its clause establishing institutional neutrality, the Syracuse Statement does not include any changes to existing university policy. Rather, it clarifies SU’s stance on concerns regarding faculty and students’ freedom of expression and its relation to campus safety.

The document states that faculty freedom of speech is required to further SU’s goal to continue the “pursuit and dissemination of knowledge” in an academic setting. In order to do so, the university will support its faculty’s right to discuss any topics relevant to their “subject expertise” or to any of their assigned courses.

“Academic freedom also protects faculty members’ rights to speak publicly on matters within their scholarly expertise and on questions of institutional governance,” the statement reads.

When engaging with students’ viewpoints, SU faculty must maintain “professional standards and delivery” and encourage their classes to practice critical thinking and research skills, the statement says.

Syverud first announced plans to release the Syracuse Statement during a December 13 University Senate meeting. At the time, he said faculty members had expressed concerns about how other universities had navigated free expression amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Throughout the spring 2024 semester, a 14-person working group of SU community leaders — co-chaired by Provost Gretchen Ritter and Senior Vice President Allen Groves — hosted multiple public forums collecting feedback to inform the content of the statement. After the months-long drafting period, the group unanimously signed the statement.

During its development, the university did not publicize a set date for the document’s release, but in a mid-May email correspondence between university administrators and members of the Gaza Solidarity Encampment, administrators had said the Syracuse Statement would be released “later this year.”

The statement acknowledges the university and the broader Syracuse community’s “rich history” surrounding democracy and human rights, stating that SU has previously “fallen short of these ideals.” The updated stance creates an “aspirational goal” for how SU will navigate divisive community conversations in the future, Groves said in the release.

“We embrace the guiding principle that the remedy for speech that some may find hurtful, offensive, or even hateful is not the disruption, obstruction, or suppression of the free speech of others, but rather more speech,” the statement reads. “ The University has a responsibility to protect that freedom … and to promote lively and fearless debate and deliberation.”

Published on May 29, 2024 at 7:59 pm

Contact Julia: jmboehni@syr.edu