[Uosenate] Senate leadership statement on Freedom of Speech and protests

[Pedro Garcia-Caro]

Dear Gerard and Allison,

Thanks so much for your response and your leadership in this. Can you please add my signature to your letter (perhaps leader and/or leadership could be removed to allow for all members of the senate to support and thus strengthen the statement?)

Thanks!
Pedro

Pedro García-Caro

Associate Professor of Spanish | Department of Romance Languages | School of Global Studies | 325 Friendly Hall | 1233 University of Oregon | Eugene, Oregon 97403-1233 | (541) 513-8706 | pgcaro at uoregon.edu
https://cas.uoregon.edu/directory/romance-languages/all/pgcaro
________________________________
From: uosenate-bounces at lists.uoregon.edu <uosenate-bounces at lists.uoregon.edu> on behalf of Senate President <senatepres at uoregon.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, May 1, 2024 10:06
To: uosenate at lists.uoregon.edu <uosenate at lists.uoregon.edu>; Senate Vice President <senatevp at uoregon.edu>; Sandy Weintraub <sandymw at uoregon.edu>; Betina Lynn <betina at uoregon.edu>
Subject: [Uosenate] Senate leadership statement on Freedom of Speech and protests


Dear UO Senators,



As University of Oregon Senate Leadership members, we support faculty, staff, and students' right to protest peacefully. In fact, the Senate just passed an updated UO University Academic Freedom and Freedom of Speech policy on March 13, 2024. The policy begins with an important statement: “1.1  WHEREAS the essential values of Academic Freedom and Freedom of Speech are bedrock principles of the University of Oregon...” The updated policy improves and clarifies our university’s stance on the importance of these critical principles. These principles are pillars of our university’s core academic mission, both to our students and our public mission to the State of Oregon and the world. You can find the policy here:



https://senate.uoregon.edu/senate-motions/us2324-07-academic-freedom-and-freedom-speech-policy



As Senate and University leaders, we are deeply concerned by the actions taken across the country to forcefully remove and arrest students who peacefully gathered in non-disruptive ways to exercise their freedom of speech. Such actions undermine the fundamental principles of freedom of speech and academic freedom and the value of critical expression in our community at the University of Oregon. As Senate Leadership, we take a proactive stance, advocating for respectful dialogue and constructive engagement to address the issues being raised by the Gaza Solidarity Camp.



We urgently and unequivocally call upon the University of Oregon administration to not just acknowledge but actively uphold the rights of all members of our academic community to express themselves peacefully.  Furthermore, we strongly urge the administration to engage proactively with the Gaza Solidarity Camp members, seeking collaborative and peaceful solutions to pave the way forward. No member of our university community should feel intimidated while on our university grounds. Senate leadership has been working tirelessly with President Scholz and Interim Provost Ford to express this fundamental point and to seek ways that our Senate’s mission of maintaining the University’s academic integrity is protected while also seeking means of supporting the rights of free speech and the safety of all our students, faculty, and staff.



Let’s unite as a Senate and university community in an authentic dialogue to seek ways to move forward positively and productively.



Cordially,



Dr. Gerard Sandoval, UO Senate President

Dr. Alison Schmitke, UO Senate Vice-President


Gerard Francisco Sandoval, PhD
President, University Senate<https://senate.uoregon.edu/>
Professor, School of Planning, Public Policy and Management<https://pppm.uoregon.edu/>
University of Oregon
147A Hendricks Hall
Eugene, OR, 97403-1209
541-346-8432








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