force to consider the issue of freedom of expression at Tufts. This action
followed the incidents that occurred last academic year and the
administration's response. The task force has drafted a document about
freedom of expression and has asked for comment from the TUfts community.
Please read this and I encourage you to send your comments to the committee.
Professor Pinderhughes
Tentative Draft no.6
March 5, 2008
A DECLARATION ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND INQUIRY
IN THE LIFE OF THE COMMUNITY AT TUFTS UNIVERSITY
Tufts University, an educational community, has as it paramount
purpose the discovery and dissemination of knowledge and the pursuit of the
arts through study, teaching, and research. For the Tufts Community to
achieve its purposes, freedom of expression and inquiry must prevail
throughout the University. Without freedom of expression, the members of the
Tufts Community cannot fully share their knowledge with each other and with
the wider world, test ideas on the anvil of open debate and criticism, or
engage in the joint exploration among scholars and artists that leads to new
scientific, academic, and artistic discoveries. Without freedom of inquiry,
Community members cannot find new knowledge, challenge conventional wisdom,
or test old truths. The inherently linked freedoms of expression and inquiry
are thus the sine qua non of a dynamic university, an essential and
fundamental condition for Tufts University to fulfill its mission.
With freedoms come obligations. With rights come responsibilities.
The exercise of freedom of expression and inquiry within the Tufts
Community, like the exercise of any freedom in any community, takes place
within a framework of laws, ethics, and agreed upon community norms. Thus,
the law justly provides that freedom of expression does not entail the right
to slander the reputation of another person, to plagiarize the work of
another scholar, or to threaten or obstruct a speaker who advances unwelcome
ideas. Beyond the fundamental requirements of the law, the members of Tufts
University, as a community, also owe one another the basic respect and
ethical obligations that human beings engaged in a common endeavor owe to
one another in any community.
In the domain of freedom of expression, the respect owed to one
another has two basic dimensions: 1) to respect the freedom of other
community members to inquire and express themselves freely, and 2) to
exercise freedom of expression and inquiry in ways that respect the
fundamental human qualities of members of the Tufts Community and create a
climate that is conducive to learning and in which all community members,
regardless of background , are free from various forms of harassment and
intimidation which may interfere with the ability to study, grow, and attain
their full potential. The exercise of freedom of expression within the Tufts
Community has the power to enlighten and delight, but it also has the power,
when used negligently or maliciously, to injure and destroy. It is
incumbent upon each member of the Tufts Community to bear in mind their
obligations and responsibilities as Community members when they exercise
their freedom of expression. It is also incumbent upon the Community as a
whole, and especially the University leadership, to exercise their own
freedom of expression to challenge and educate those of our members who
would harass others and to support strongly those of our members who are
unjustly attacked.
The achievement of our common endeavor - the discovery and
dissemination of knowledge and the pursuit of the arts - requires each
member of our community to be mindful of those ethical and human obligations
as they exercise their freedoms to express themselves and to engage in
intellectual and scientific inquiry. In the end, freedom of expression and
inquiry are necessary but not sufficient conditions for learning to take
place at Tufts University. For learning to take place at Tufts, there must
also exist on every campus an environment of civility, tolerance, dialogue,
and a respect for the orderly functioning of the processes of education.
For more information or to send comments to the Task Force on Freedom of
Expression:
Visit http://freedomofexpression.tufts.edu
(will accept anonymous
comments)
Or send a message to freedomofexpression@tufts.edu.
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