Policies available for feedback

Dear campus community,

UIC has a proud tradition of fostering a vibrant academic environment where diverse perspectives are welcomed. In a rapidly changing local, national and global landscape, it is imperative that we review and refine our policies and procedures to ensure they not only meet current legal and ethical standards but also effectively support our community’s intellectual growth and resilience.

Several months ago, Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda charged a task force to review and update UIC’s long-standing open expression policy. At the request of University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen, she charged a second task force with creating recommendations for a new policy on university public statements.

This past week, university leadership, including Deans Council and Executive Cabinet, reviewed and offered feedback on the draft policies. Beginning next week, consultation will continue with key university governing bodies, including the Senate Executive Committee (SEC), Academic Professionals Advisory Committee (APAC), Staff Advisory Committee (SAC) and student governance organizations. The draft policies (the proposed updates to the open expression policy and proposed new policy for public statements) will also be available for faculty, staff and student feedback online through Friday, Sept. 6, allowing for consideration of all input before finalizing the policies. We welcome your input.

Open expression policy

The current open expression policy has been in place since May 2018. An update was needed to ensure that it effectively supports a culture of open inquiry and respects the rights and responsibilities of all community members.

The updated policy:

• Requires students, faculty and staff to apply for a reservation to schedule an open expression event 48 hours in advance, a noted reduction from the previous requirement of seven days.
• Places limits on time, place and manner, requiring that events be scheduled during daylight hours with no overnight demonstrations or encampments.
• Does not apply to union activities.
• Does not impact any faculty member’s academic freedom.

Public statements policy

A new public statement policy upholds constitutionally protected free speech, clarifies the distinction between an institutional statement and a statement made by an institutional entity, and outlines the appropriate use of university resources for public statements.

The new policy:

• Encourages institutional entities to share a public statement issued by the president or chancellor rather than issue its own.
• Requires the development of a process that will be consistently followed by any institutional entity wishing to issue a public statement.
• Requires institutional entities wishing to issue a public statement to include an explicit disclaimer stating that it does not represent the University of Illinois Chicago.

This policy does not address statements made by individual members of UIC on their own behalf. UIC fully supports academic freedom and individuals’ constitutional right to express their personal opinions on political or social issues. This policy ensures that all public statements align with the university’s mission, uphold its values and reflect its commitment to respectful and inclusive dialogue.

Our values are what make UIC a vibrant and inclusive community. We are at our best when we foster an environment where all voices are heard, respected and celebrated. We can and must continue to learn from and with each other as we advance UIC’s mission to provide the broadest access to the highest levels of educational, research and clinical excellence.

Sincerely,

John Coronado
Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services
Co-chair, Open Expression Task Force

Michael Ginsburg
Special Advisor to the Chancellor for Student Affairs
Co-chair, Open Expression Task Force

Chandra Harris-McCray
Vice Chancellor for Strategic Marketing and Communications
Co-chair, Public Statements Task Force

Nicky Boothe
Dean, School of Law
Co-chair, Public Statements Task Force

For more information, please contact:
Strategic Marketing and Communications
smcs@uic.edu