A working group created to review Syracuse University’s free speech and civil discourse policies is expected to deliver its final recommendations by May 2020.

The Free Speech Working Group will recommend changes to the university’s free speech and civil discourse policies to further the campus’s culture of thought diversity and open dialogue, said Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Keith Alford in a campus-wide email.

Chancellor Kent Syverud announced the members and mission of the working group Monday. The announcement comes about a month after Syverud said during a University Senate meeting that the university should protect the right to free speech, even if the protections enable uncomfortable discourse.

The working group held its first meeting Tuesday evening and will report its interim recommendations to Syverud in January.

Amy Falkner, interim dean of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, will co-chair the committee with Steve Bennett, senior vice president for academic operations. The working group also includes three students and three members of SU’s Board of Trustees.

Other members include Bobby Maldonado, chief of the Department of Public Safety, and Roy Gutterman, director of Newhouse’s Tully Center for Free Speech.

Alford also provided updates concerning SEM 100, a five-week course for first-year students that aims to discuss diversity and inclusion. This year’s course has ended, and both student and facilitator evaluations are undergoing review.

The Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Native Student Program, along with other campus organizations, will celebrate Native Heritage Month throughout November with activities dedicated to recognizing indigenous communities, Alford said.

Published on October 29, 2019 at 9:33 pm

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