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UT System prohibits its universities from making political or social statements

The University of Texas System announced it will amend its free speech policy to bar its institutions from adopting political or social positions unrelated to their operations. The move comes months after pro-Palestinian demonstrations rattled the system's flagship, the University of Texas at Austin, and led to criticism of system and university leaders' handling of the protests.
Julius Shieh
/
The Texas Tribune
The University of Texas System announced it will amend its free speech policy to bar its institutions from adopting political or social positions unrelated to their operations. The move comes months after pro-Palestinian demonstrations rattled the system's flagship, the University of Texas at Austin, and led to criticism of system and university leaders' handling of the protests.

The University of Texas Board of Regents amended its free speech policy this week to prohibit the system and its 14 universities and health-related institutions from adopting political or social positions unrelated to campus operations.

“Institutions should not, in their official capacity, issue or express positions on issues of the day, however appealing they may be to some members of the university community,” reads the new language that was added to the system’s statement on freedom of speech and expression and approved by the board during its Thursday meeting.

The policy does not apply to individual faculty, staff or students free speech and only relates to “official university statements, functions, ceremonies, and publications.”

In a statement, Paul Corliss, associate vice chancellor for external relations and communications, said the new policy is an extension of the principles put forth in the Kalven Report from the University of Chicago, a 1967 report on the university’s role in political and social action that concluded “institutional neutrality” is necessary for the university to fulfill its core mission and create a campus environment were all students, faculty and staff have the freedom to take their own political or social views.

In 2022, the UT System adopted a version of the “Chicago Statement,” a set of principles affirming an institution’s commitment to free speech. It calls for the protection of speech even if it is considered “offensive, unwise, immoral or wrong-headed,” with restrictions on speech that is illegal, defamatory or harassment.

The UT System’s policy change comes during the first week of the fall semester at many of its campuses, the first time students are back to school after its flagship, the University of Texas at Austin, became ground zero for clashes over the Israel-Hamas war.

The Middle East conflict has tested free speech policies at universities in Texas and across the country as pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel students engage in protests and heated discussions. School leaders have struggled to strike a balance between their roles as moderators and facilitators of intellectual debate on campus.

After the war began Oct. 7, UT-Austin President Jay Hartzell issued two statements to the university community related to the unfolding conflict. In his first message, he laid out safety measures in place for Jewish students on campus. In the second one, Hartzell said the university refrains from issuing statements in response to major events unless there is a connection to the campus community or a matter of public safety, but said he has zero tolerance for any antisemitism toward Jewish students or “hate-filled actions” toward Muslim communities.

During the spring semester, tensions exploded on U.S. campuses in response to the war, including UT-Austin and the University of Texas at Dallas. In April, hundreds of students walked out of class at the flagship university, leading to the arrest of 57 people after police ordered them to disperse. A few days later, nearly 80 more people were arrested after protesters tried to set up an encampment on campus. Protesters were also arrested at UT-Dallas after students set up an encampment on campus, demanding the university divest from U.S. corporations that have ties to Israel’s war in Gaza.

Other universities, including the University of North Carolina System and University of Wyoming, have previously adopted positions to remain neutral. Since the Israel-Hamas war, others have joined them, including Stanford University and Northwestern University. Harvard University said in May it would no longer make political statements at the recommendation of a faculty committee, though they stopped short of fully embracing “institutional neutrality.”

From The Texas Tribune

The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.

Disclosure: Northwestern University - Medill School of Journalism, University of Texas - Dallas and University of Texas at Austin have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

Kate McGee covers higher education for the WBEZ Education Desk. She joined WBEZ in May 2018 after spending a year at WAMU, the NPR affiliate in Washington D.C. There, she broke a major story that revealed D.C. Public Schools were awarding diplomas to underprepared students in violation of their own policies. Born in New York City and raised in New Jersey, Kate got her public radio start at Fordham University’s WFUV. She covered education at KUT, the NPR affiliate in Austin, Texas, where she was named Texas Associated Press Radio Reporter of the Year in 2015. She’s also worked at WNYC and KUNR in Reno, Nevada. Kate’s work has appeared on NPR’s Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Here and Now, and The Takeaway. She enjoys road trips, going to baseball games, buying books she doesn’t have time to read, and drinking a good beer outdoors.