Minutes of a Regular Meeting, June 22-23, 2004 - Digital Collections

REGENTS’ POLICY MANUALSECTION 2—ACADEMICSe) Freedom of access to recorded knowledge being essential to learning and research ina democracy, the right and the obligation of the university to provide a full range ofmaterials on any subject, even though some views might be currently unpopular orcontroversial, or appear incorrect, shall not be infringed. The principles of academicfreedom shall apply to the presence of materials and also to those who provide andthose who use them.The University endorses the 1957 declaration of the American Association of UniversityProfessors which “…asserts the right of college and university students to listen toanyone whom they wish to hear…affirms its own belief that it is educationally desirablethat students be confronted with diverse opinions of all kinds, (and) therefore, holds thatany person who is presented by a recognized student or faculty organization should beallowed to speak on a college or university campus.” Duly constituted organizations atthe University may invite speakers without fear of sanctions. However, in the exercise ofthese rights, it is clearly recognized that: “Membership in the academic communityimposes on students, faculty members, administrators, and trustees an obligation torespect the dignity of others, to acknowledge their right to express differing opinions, andto foster and defend intellectual honesty, freedom of inquiry and instruction, and freeexpression on and off the campus. The expression of dissent and the attempt to producechange, therefore, may not be carried out in ways which injure individuals or damageinstitutional facilities or disrupt the classes of one’s teachers or colleagues. Speakers oncampus must not only be protected from violence but must be given an opportunity to beheard. Those who seek to call attention to grievances must not do so in ways thatsignificantly impede the functions of the institution.” (1970 declaration of the AAUPCouncil).STATEMENT ON PROFESSIONAL ETHICS1. Faculty members, guided by a deep conviction of the worth and dignity of the advancementof knowledge, recognize the special responsibilities placed upon them. Their primaryresponsibility to their subject is to seek and to state the truth as they see it. To this endfaculty members devote their energies to developing and improving their scholarlycompetence. They accept the obligation to exercise critical self-discipline and judgment inusing, extending and transmitting knowledge. They practice intellectual honesty. Althoughfaculty members may follow subsidiary interests, these interests must never seriously hamperor compromise their freedom of inquiry.2. As teachers, faculty members encourage the free pursuit of learning in their students. Theyhold before them the best scholarly and ethical standards of their discipline. Facultymembers demonstrate respect for students as individuals and adhere to their proper roles asintellectual guides and counselors. Faculty members make every reasonable effort to fosterhonest academic conduct and to ensure that their evaluations of students reflect each student’strue merit. They respect the confidential nature of the relationship between faculty memberand student. They avoid any exploitation, harassment or discriminatory treatment of students.They acknowledge significant academic or scholarly assistance from them. They protecttheir academic freedom.3. As colleagues, faculty members have obligations that derive from common membership inthe community of scholars. They do not discriminate against or harass colleagues. TheyTHE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA 11