University of Arizona

http://w3.arizona.edu/~uhap/chap1.html#1.01
In Handbook under Values:

• "Academic Freedom -- Encouraging the freedom to pursue knowledge and understanding and to communicate without censorship or fear of reprisal."

• "University of Arizona employees may participate in political activity outside the classroom as citizens, but must not allow their interest in a particular party candidate or political issue to affect the objectivity of their teaching or the performance of any other assigned duties and responsibilities."

• "Membership in the academic community imposes on students, faculty members, administrators, and regents an obligation to respect the dignity of others, to acknowledge their right to express differing opinions, and to foster and defend intellectual honesty, freedom of inquiry and instruction, and free expression on and off the campus."
• "As teachers, faculty members encourage the free pursuit of learning in students; hold before them as best they can the scholarly standards of the discipline; demonstrate respect for the student as an individual; adhere to the proper role as intellectual guide and advisor; make every reasonable effort to foster honest academic conduct and assure that the evaluation of students reflects their true merit; and respect the confidential nature of the relationship between faculty member and student."
• "The faculty, guided by a deep conviction of the worth and dignity of the advancement of knowledge, recognize the special responsibilities placed upon them. The faculty's primary responsibility to their subject is to seek and state the truth as they see it. To this end, the faculty devote their energies to developing and improving scholarly competence. The faculty member accepts the obligations to exercise critical self-discipline and judgment in using, extending, and transmitting knowledge; and practices intellectual honesty."
• "In order to accomplish these goals, faculty members assume certain specific responsibilities:
  
  A. To conduct each course they have been employed to teach in general conformity with the content, format, and official description of such course as established by the faculties and approved by the President and Board of Regents."

University of Akron

http://www.uakron.edu/ogc/rules/Rules20/20-03f.pdf
Academic Freedom (pages 5-6)

• "Teachers are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject, but they should be careful not to introduce into their teaching controversial matter which has no relation to their subject."

• "Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom. These freedoms depend upon appropriate opportunities and conditions in the classroom, on the campus and in the larger community. All members of the university community share the right and responsibility to secure and to respect general conditions conducive to enjoyment of these freedoms which are inalienable."

• "At the university of Akron students have both the right and the responsibility to engage in free inquiry and expression when relevant to the subject under discussion."
• "Students have the right to expect effective instruction and to have their performance evaluated solely on an academic basis."

University of California

The following are from the U.C. official statement on Academic Freedom (University California Regulation No. 5; APM - 010):
http://www.ucop.edu/ucophome/coordrev/policy/apm-010.pdf

• "The University also seeks to foster in its students a mature independence of mind, and this purpose cannot be achieved unless students and faculty are free within the classroom to express the widest range of viewpoints in accord with the standards of scholarly inquiry and professional ethics."

• "The University seeks to provide and sustain an environment conducive to sharing, extending, and critically examining knowledge and values, and to furthering the search for wisdom."

• "As teachers, the professors encourage the free pursuit of learning of their students. They hold before them the best scholarly standards of their discipline. Professors demonstrate respect for students as individuals and adhere to their proper roles as intellectual guides and counselors....They protect their [students'] academic freedom." (Ethical Principles derived from AAUP Statement, 1966; Revised, 1987)

• "Significant intrusion of material unrelated to the course."
• "Evaluation of student work by criteria not directly reflective of course performance."
• "Use of the position or powers of a faculty member to coerce the judgment or conscience of a student or to cause harm to a student for arbitrary or personal reasons."
• "Participating in or deliberately abetting disruption, interference, or intimidation in the classroom."

• "They [the Regents] are responsible to ensure that public confidence in the University is justified."
• And they [the Regents] are responsible to see that the University remain aloof from politics and never function as an instrument for the advance of partisan interest. Misuse of the classroom by, for example, allowing it to be used for political indoctrination, for purposes other than those for which the course was constituted, ..., constitutes misuse of the University as an institution.
• There are many hours available during the daily activities of students and faculty for free discourse on matters of concern to them as citizens. It cannot be argued successfully that it is necessary to interrupt progress of an academic course or to modify grading procedures to provide for such discussion. It is the Regents' responsibility to the very concept of a University to protect the institution from the misuse of the classroom and to ensure the rights of all to teaching and learning.
• Therefore, it is the Regents' policy that no campus, no academic college, no department, and no instructor distort the instructional process in a manner which deviates from the responsibilities inherent in academic freedom. This includes introducing subject matter foreign to the regular course content, using classroom facilities and supplies, or other nonfree speech areas for political purposes. The right of students to have their classes held on the regularly scheduled basis and to be taught by the instructor whose responsibility it is to teach the course in question is to be upheld.

University of Central Florida

http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~provost/handbook/home.html
Under Academic Freedom and Responsibility

• "In the development of knowledge, research endeavors, and creative activities, this University faculty and student body must be free to cultivate a spirit of inquiry and scholarly criticism and to examine ideas in an atmosphere of freedom and confidence. A similar atmosphere is required for University teaching. Consistent with the exercise of academic responsibility, a teacher must have freedom in the classroom in discussing pertinent subjects. University students must likewise have the opportunity to study a full spectrum of ideas, opinions, and beliefs, so that they may acquire maturity for analysis and judgment. Objective and skillful exposition of such matters is the duty of every teacher."

University of Colorado

http://www.cu.edu/regents/Laws/Article5.html
Under PART D: PRINCIPLES OF ACADEMIC FREEDOM
5.D.1 Intent and Definition

• (A) "The University of Colorado was created and is maintained to afford men and women a liberal education in the several branches of literature, arts, sciences, and the professions. These aims can be achieved only in that atmosphere of free inquiry and discussion, which has become a tradition of universities and is called 'academic freedom.'"
• (B) ""For this purpose, 'academic freedom' is defined as the freedom to inquire, discover, publish and teach truth as the faculty member sees it, subject to no control or authority save the control and authority of the rational methods by which truth is established."
• (C) "Within the bounds of this definition, academic freedom requires that members of the faculty must have complete freedom to study, to learn, to do research, and to communicate the results of these pursuits to others. The students likewise must have freedom of study and discussion. The fullest exposure to conflicting opinions is the best insurance against error."
• (D) "Academic freedom does not give either faculty or students the right to disregard the standards of conduct outlined in part B of article 7 of these Laws."
• (E) "All members of the academic community have a responsibility to protect the university as a forum for the free expression of ideas."

• (C) "The faculty member is entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing the subject, but should be careful not to introduce into teaching controversial matter that has no relation to the subject."
• Under (D) "Hence faculty members should be accurate at all times, should exercise appropriate restraint and show respect for the opinions of others, and should make every effort to indicate that they are not speaking for the institution."

• "Within the limits of academic discipline, students have an equivalent responsibility for study and learning. They should be judged on the merits of their performance without reference to their political, social, or religious views."

• (B) "As members of the academic community, students have responsibility, equivalent to that of the faculty, for study, learning, academic integrity, and protecting the university as a forum for the free expression of ideas."

University of Delaware

http://www.udel.edu/provost/fachb/III/III-B.html
Under B Academic Freedom

• "Both within and outside the classroom, the faculty should exhibit the accuracy, restraint, and respect for the opinions of others appropriate to educators and persons of learning."
• "The teacher is entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing his or her subject but should be careful not to introduce into his or her teaching matter that which has little or no relation to the subject."

• "On April 3, 1995, the University Faculty Senate adopted the following statement on professional ethics..." (Read statement linked to above.)

• "Members of the University Community are free to examine and to discuss all questions of interest to them and to express opinions publicly and privately."
• The above link also have information concerning campus speakers.

• "The central mission of the University of Delaware is to cultivate both learning and the free exchange of ideas."
• "The University strives for an atmosphere in which all people feel welcome to learn, embracing creativity, critical thinking and free inquiry, and respecting the views and values of an increasingly diverse population."

University of Idaho

http://www.webs.uidaho.edu/fsh/3160.html

• B-2. Teaching. "Teachers are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects, but they should be careful not to introduce into their teaching controversial matter that is unrelated to their subjects."
• B-3. Responsibilities. a. "Membership in the academic community imposes on teachers, administrators, other institutional employees, and students an obligation to respect the dignity of others, to acknowledge the right of others to express differing opinions, and to foster and defend intellectual honesty, freedom of inquiry and instruction, and freedom of expression on and off campus of the institution."

University of Iowa

http://www.uiowa.edu/~our/opmanual/iii/15.htm
From Chapter 15: Professional Ethics and Academic Responsibility:

• 15.2 (c) The faculty member has the responsibility to teach courses in a manner that is consistent with the course description and credit published in the catalogue and with the announced objectives of the course. He or she must not intentionally interject into classes material or personal views that have no pedagogical relationship to the subject matter of the course.
• 15.2 (d) In order to facilitate student learning, faculty members should present the appropriate context for course content. While challenge is essential to good teaching, challenge is ordinarily most effective when students are adequately prepared to deal with course materials. On controversial issues within the scope of the course a reasonable range of opinion should be presented. When the faculty member presents his or her own views on such issues, they should always be identified as such. Wherever values, judgments, or speculative opinions constitute part of the subject matter, they should be identified as such and should not be offered as fact.
• 15.2 (e) The faculty member owes to the student and the University a fair and impartial evaluation of the student's work. Such evaluation should be consistent with recognized standards and must not be influenced by irrelevancies such as religion, race, sex, or political views, or be based on the student's agreement with the teacher's opinion pertaining to matters of controversy within the discipline.
• 15.2 (f) Every student is entitled to the same intellectual freedom which the faculty member enjoys. The faculty member must respect that freedom. Restraints must not be imposed upon the student's search for or consideration of diverse or contrary opinion. More positively, the faculty member has an obligation to protect the student's freedom to learn, especially when that freedom is threatened by repressive or disruptive action. The classroom must remain a place where free and open discussion of all content and issues relevant to a course can take place. While students remain responsible for learning class material and completion of course requirements, faculty should respect reasonable decisions by students, based on their exercise of their own intellectual freedom, not to attend part or all of a particular class session.

• "As members of the academic community, students are encouraged to develop a capacity for critical judgment and to engage in a sustained and independent search for truth. Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom. The freedom to learn depends on appropriate opportunities and conditions in the classrooms, on the campus, and in the larger community."

University of Kentucky

http://www.uky.edu/Regulations/FHB/fhb080.htm

• "Faculty members and students are permitted and encouraged to investigate any theory, challenge any premise, engage in political and social debate, and express dissent."

University of Maryland

http://www.inform.umd.edu/EdRes/FacRes/teach/classclimate.html

• "The University of Maryland values the diversity of its student body and is committed to providing a classroom atmosphere that encourages the equitable participation of all students."

• B: "Faculty members shall enjoy freedom in the classroom to discuss all subject matter reasonably related to the course. In turn, they have the responsibility to encourage free and honest inquiry and expression on the part of the students."
• C: "Faculty members, consistent with the principles of academic freedom, have the responsibility to present courses that are consistent with their descriptions in the catalog of the institution."
• D: "Faculty members are obligated to evaluate students fairly, equitably, and in a manner appropriate to the course and its objectives. Grades must be assigned without prejudice or bias."

• B. "Students have the right of free and honest inquiry and expression in their courses. In addition, students have the right to know the requirements of their courses and to know the manner in which they will be evaluated and graded."

• "Every student has the right to freedom of opinion and expression on all subjects and is individually responsible for the consequences of any abuse of these freedoms. No student shall be prevented from exercising his or her right of self-expression or inquiry because of the content or topic of the expression or the inquiry.
  
  "These rights include the freedom to hold opinions without interference, and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds orally, in writing, in print, in the form of art, or through any chosen medium."

• "Every student has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion."

University of Massachusetts

http://www.umass.edu/dean_students/rights/guide_civil.html

• "... The University protects the rights of all students, faculty and staff to explore new ideas and to express their views. A necessary condition for these pursuits is an acceptance of the spirit of inquiry and a respect for diverse ideas and viewpoints. For true academic freedom to exist, this acceptance and respect must exist in both the overall campus environment and in the classroom."
• "Learning and the exchange of ideas may take place in many settings, including the formal classroom. When students and faculty come together, the expectation is always that mutual respect and civility will prevail to ensure that every student has the optimum opportunity to learn and that each faculty member has the best opportunity to teach."

University of Michigan

http://www.umich.edu/~provost/handbook/1/1.1.html

• "We believe in free expression, free inquiry, intellectual honesty, and respect for the rights and dignity of others. We respect the autonomy of each persons conscience in matters of conviction, religious faith, and political belief."
• "All members of the University have civil rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. Because the search for knowledge is our most fundamental purpose, the University has an especially strong commitment to preserve and protect freedom of thought and expression. Reasoned dissent plays a vital role in the search for truth; and academic freedom, including the right to express unpopular views, is a cherished tradition of universities everywhere. All members of the University have the right to express their own views and hear the views of others expressed, but they must also take responsibility for according the same rights to others. We seek a University whose members may express themselves vigorously while protecting and respecting the rights of others to learn, to do research, and to carry out the essential functions of the University free from interference or obstruction."

• "The University encourages open and vigorous discussion and strives to maintain an environment where the free exchange of ideas and opinions can flourish."

University of Minnesota

http://www1.umn.edu/regents/policies/academic/AcademicFreedom.pdf

• "Academic Freedom is the Freedom to express all relevant matters in the Classroom, ..."

• Fairness: "Members of the University community have the obligation to respect and to be fair to other members, students and persons they supervise, and to foster to professional and intellectual growth."
• Professional Conduct: "Members must support intellectual freedom."

University of Missouri

http://www.system.missouri.edu/uminfo/rules/bylaws/310010.htm

• "Institutions of higher education are established and maintained for the common good, which depends upon the free search for truth and its free expression."
• 2. b. "Faculty members are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects, but have the responsibility not to depart significantly from their respective areas of competence or to divert substantial time to material extraneous to the course."