SECTION 1. ACADEMIC FREEDOM

Academic freedom is the right of a faculty member to be responsibly engaged in efforts to discover, speak and teach the truth. It is the policy of the University to maintain and encourage full freedom, within the law, of inquiry, discourse, teaching, research, and publication and to protect any member of the faculty against influences, from within or without the University, which would restrict the faculty member in the exercise of these freedoms in his or her area of scholarly interest.

The University recognizes that in his or her role as citizen, as to matters outside the area of his or her scholarly interest, the faculty member has the right to enjoy the same freedoms as other citizens, without institutional censorship or discipline, though he or she should avoid abuse of these freedoms. The faculty member should recognize that accuracy, forthrightness, and dignity befit his or her association with the University and his or her position as a person of learning. Except when officially authorized, a faculty member should not represent himself or herself as a spokesman for the University.