Faculty and students reminded to speak freely — within certain guidelines

Illustration by Sami Seyedhosseini, Cartoonist

In recent years, student activism has grown more visible on campus, with protests for liberation in Gaza and campus-wide walkouts against the end of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, bringing forward a renewed attention to issues of student speech and proper responses to it.

Recently, the Office of the Provost sent out guidelines to faculty and staff centering on California’s Leonard Law, which defends students’ rights to express opinions, whether differing or offensive, to faculty. 

Provost Michael Ibba said that the administration routinely sends these resources to enhance teaching and learning in the classroom.

“In this case, we aimed to ensure faculty have strong facilitation tools to welcome a wide variety of perspectives, which is consistent with our mission,” said Ibba.

The document states, “faculty responses should model respectful academic discourse while protecting student speech rights.” These guidelines are meant to enforce civility and appropriate conduct in the classroom, staying in line with Chapman policies and the student conduct code. 

The outline also sets a small reminder at the end, noting that faculty do not have to agree with students. However, they shouldn’t be punished for expressing opinions and it is required “that their academic evaluation be based on scholarly merit rather than ideological conformity.”

Kelli Fuery, creative and cultural industries professor and faculty senate leader, explained that although speech is protected, students must still follow Chapman policies.  

“This means students cannot say what they like without consequences,” said Fuery. “Free speech is not a license to speak hate speech or discrimination.” 

Although these guidelines set clear policies, for some students, it isn’t a matter of allowing free speech, it's about vulnerability and comfort to speak freely.

Freshman public relations, advertising and entertainment marketing major Sofia Patiño explained that she feels she has the right to express her opinion in the classroom on a case-by-case basis, depending on the professor and the class environment. 

“I see it as being less about freedom of speech and more about social comfort,” Patiño said. “I would never want to come off as disrespectful or have my comment misunderstood, so I try to steer away from discussing any sensitive topics.” 

Patiño later explained that she could see how people could feel uncomfortable when the topic is political or sensitive. She also acknowledges that professors want open dialogue, but sometimes the comfort level isn’t there when the topic is political or otherwise sensitive.

“Most of us know we can share our opinions, but we don’t always want to because we don’t want conflict or judgment,” Patiño said. 

In his own classroom, English professor Douglas Cooney has seen how college students are more reserved when it comes to sharing their opinions, especially in classwide discussions.

“When I assign personal essays, the floodgates open and I learn a lot about what’s on their minds, but those are one-to-one communications between student and teacher,” Cooney told The Panther.

Cooney also suggested that the Leonard Law reminders are an indication of the broader political climate.

“The reminder of the Leonard Law at this time is likely intended to acknowledge the heated debate that exists in our world — these are provocative times — while (also) fortifying the respectful exchange of ideas between students and educators that must exist in our classrooms,” said Cooney.

Numerous universities across California have imposed stricter codes on campus activism, causing conflict between university administrations and students, which has led to lawsuits at schools like University of California, Los Angeles and even at community colleges.

Meanwhile, at the beginning of this year, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) increased Chapman's free speech rating from red to yellow, despite Chapman not changing any policies.

The FIRE database explains that a yellow school has at least one policy that restricts free speech beyond what is warranted, or is written with vague language, opening it up to more restrictions.

While Chapman remains open to free speech, there is a new discussion to be seen between the balance of open dialogue and student trust.