The University of Michigan Board of Regents gathered at the Alexander G. Ruthven Building Tuesday afternoon for a special meeting to vote on a new set of principles on diversity of thought and freedom of expression. The motion to adopt the principles passed unanimously, with the majority of regents expressing their support in their comments at the meeting.
The Board’s regular monthly meetings have a designated time for public comments, where U-M and Ann Arbor community members can sign up to share concerns with the board. Tuesday’s meeting was not open for public comment.
In the approved principles, the University said they are committed to protecting First Amendment rights on campus as a public institution and encouraging conversation and debate.
“As a great public university guided by the letter and spirit of the First Amendment, we enthusiastically embrace our responsibility to stimulate and support diverse ideas and model constructive engagement with different viewpoints in our classrooms and labs, lecture series and symposia, studios and performance halls, exhibits and publications and among our entire community of students, teachers, researchers, and staff,” the principles read.
At the meeting, University President Santa Ono said he feels this statement comes at a particularly important moment for the U-M community. The adoption of the principles comes after months of student activism following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, and allegations that the University is suppressing student speech on this issue.
“At this time of great division, it is more important than ever that we come together in a shared commitment to pluralism, to mutual respect and to freedom of speech and the diversity of thought at this great public university,” Ono said.
Last month, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan sent a letter to the University expressing concern over their responses to student activism around the Israel-Hamas war, including the arrest of 40 students at a peaceful pro-Palestine protest and the cancellation of two Central Student Government resolutions on the topic.
Several regents shared their support for the proposed principles during Tuesday’s meeting, and highlighted areas of the policy they found particularly important. Regent Jordan Acker (D) said he believes freedom of expression must not only be allowed but also encouraged on campus to fulfill the University’s mission.
“Free speech includes the right to learn and to engage on campus, even on topics that are unpopular,” Acker said.
University Regent Ron Weiser (R) said he believes it is important to foster a respectful and communicative environment to avoid targeted speech and conflict on campus. The University’s policy regarding targeted speech, which the new principles define as “bullying, defamation, destruction of property, discrimination, harassment, violence, or threats,” allows the administration to regulate expression if it may disrupt the University’s “ordinary activities.”
“I want to emphasize (that) protesters are free to disagree but not to disrupt the presentation,” Weiser said. “I think it’s really important that we realize that the University is about talking to each other and understanding there’s going to be differences of opinion and viewpoints on many subjects.”
Regent Paul Brown (D) said he agreed with Weiser, adding that he believes U-M students should feel safe to express controversial opinions.
“We want you to feel absolutely physically safe on campus, but absolutely intellectually uncomfortable,” Brown said. “And so when free speech leads into that area of hate or intimidation or threats, that is also a violation of our policies and morals, and there will be consequences for those that do it in our campus.”
At the December Regents meeting, one student was barred from speaking despite having signed up for public comment after he arrived late due to heightened security checks at the building. The administration has also banned all 40 students arrested at the November protest at Ruthven from entering the building, where regents meetings are typically held, for a year.
Timothy Lynch, U-M vice president and general counsel, described the process through which members of the U-M community were able to contribute to the final statement put before the regents.
“The principles before the board today also benefited tremendously from the many detailed and thoughtful comments we received from faculty, staff, students and alums on an earlier draft through the online portal set up last October,” Lynch said. “We read those comments very carefully, and the draft today reflects many of the points we received.”
In an email to the student body sent shortly after the meeting, Ono outlined the University’s plans for implementing the new policy in the future.
“In the coming weeks, we will assemble a panel to recommend ways to put the principles into practice across our three campuses and educate our ever-changing community about what they mean,” Ono wrote. “Later, a second committee made up of faculty members, students and staff will examine the extent to which the university community is living up to the principles.”
Daily Staff Reporters Bronwyn Johnston and Marissa Corsi can be reached at jbronwyn@umich.edu and macorsi@umich.edu.