Academic Freedom Under Attack by CSU Management

CSU management has released a systemwide interim “time, place, and manner” policy. Because the Union has not met and conferred with the administration, the policy doesn’t apply to faculty at this time. We are aware that some campus administrators are misinforming faculty of their rights, and we have demanded a correction. Current time, place, and manner policies are in effect for faculty. However, the new policy does impact our students and their free speech and academic freedom.

CSU management claims it must comply with a state law to have time, place, manner policies in effect, but there is no indication that existing policies do not suffice. Indeed, administrators are reacting to public demonstrations on CSU campuses in the last year, and they seem poised to go further than ever in limiting freedom of speech and expression.

The policy would, among other things:

• Limit the academic freedom of faculty, students, and staff: the ability to speak, teach, learn, research, participate in university governance, and work freely without interference from political figures, boards of trustees, donors, or other entities.
• Dictate “hours of operation” at campuses to ban people’s presence in buildings and areas at certain times, including times of scheduled classes and events.
• Enact an ableist ban on face coverings that protect the immunocompromised and shield people from being surveilled without consent.
• Restrictions on face coverings appear to contravene an individual’s right to wear specific religious attire, such as a burqa, hijab, or other head/face coverings.
• Establish broad language requiring written permission for posters, signs, banners and chalking.

CFA members are committed to academic freedom and free speech as central to the mission of public higher education and our institutions of higher learning. Public discourse, rallies, protests, and teach-ins are hallowed milestones in the struggle for learning, progress, and justice in the United States.

We are demanding a meeting over the decision and the effects of this new policy. This anti-freedom-of-speech policy impacts freedom of speech and expression, academic freedom, and poses discipline consequences for faculty. This policy also impacts and potentially interferes with our union’s ability to engage in concerted activity and to otherwise represent faculty members.

By limiting free speech and academic freedom, this policy recasts the role of a public institution in learning and exchange of ideas. We see the policy for what it is: the continued shift away from student servingness toward corporatization of what should be the People’s University.

We’ll keep CFA members updated in the coming weeks.