Academic Freedom
The statement on academic freedom, as formulated in the 1940 Statement of Principles endorsed by the AAUP (American Association of University Professors) and incorporating the 1970 interpretive comments, is the policy of Fairfield University.
Academic freedom and responsibility are here defined as the liberty and obligation to study, to investigate, to present and interpret, and to discuss facts and ideas concerning all branches and fields of learning. Academic freedom is limited only by generally accepted standards of responsible scholarship and by respect for the Catholic commitment of the institution as expressed in its mission statement, which provides that Fairfield University "welcomes those of all beliefs and traditions who share its concerns for scholarship, truth, and freedom, and it values the diversity which their membership brings to the university community."
Freedom of Expression
As an academic institution, Fairfield University exists for the transmission of knowledge, pursuit of truth, development of students, and the general well-being of society. Free inquiry and free expression are indispensable to the attainment of these goals. Fairfield University recognizes that academic freedom, freedom of expression and responsibility are required to realize the essential purposes of the University. Academic freedom and responsibility (distinguished from freedom of expression) are herein defined as the liberty and obligation to study, to investigate, to present, interpret, and discuss facts and ideas concerning all branches and fields of inquiry.
Student Rights
As constituents of the academic community, students should be free, individually and collectively, to express their views on issues of institutional policy and on matters of general interest to the student body.
Fairfield University students are both citizens and members of the academic community. As citizens of a private institution, Fairfield’s students enjoy the same freedom of speech, peaceful assembly, and right of petition that students at other private institutions enjoy as accorded by law, and as members of the academic community, they are subject to the obligations which accrue to them by virtue of this membership. Faculty members and administration officials should ensure that institutional powers are not employed to deprive students of their rights as accorded to the them by law and University policy. At the same time, the institution has an obligation to clarify those standards which it considers essential to its educational mission and its community life. These expectations and regulations should represent a reasonable regulation of student conduct.
As members of the academic community, students should be encouraged to develop the capacity for critical judgment and to engage in a sustained and independent search for truth. They do this within the requirements of the curriculum and the courses in which they are enrolled.
The professor in the classroom and in conference should encourage free discussion, inquiry, and expression. Student performance should be evaluated solely on an academic basis, not on opinions or conduct in matters unrelated to academic standards.
This means that students are free to take reasoned exception to the data or views offered in any course of study and to reserve judgment about matters of opinion, but they are responsible for learning the content of any course of study for which they are enrolled. Students in professional programs are expected to understand and uphold the standards required in their profession.
Students bring to the campus a variety of interests previously acquired and develop many new interests as members of the academic community. They should be free to organize and join associations to promote their common interests. Students and student organizations should be free to examine and discuss all questions of interest to them and to express opinions publicly and privately. Students should be allowed to invite and to hear any person of their own choosing. Those procedures required by an institution before a guest speaker is invited to appear on campus should be designed only to ensure that there is orderly scheduling of facilities and adequate preparation for the event, and that the occasion is conducted in a manner appropriate to an academic community. Guest speakers are subject to all applicable laws, and to the University policies on harassment and discrimination.
Students should always be free to support causes by orderly means which do not disrupt operations of the institution. At the same time, it should be made clear to the academic and larger community that in their public expressions or demonstrations students or student organizations speak only for themselves and not the institution.
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