The University on Freedom of Expression on Campus
From Executive Vice President for University Life Suzanne Goldberg
October 4, 2018
Supporting all of our students in campus
The safety and well-being of all of our students at Columbia is fundamentally important, together with the exchange of ideas and a deep commitment to diversity of both identity and viewpoint.
From Executive Vice President for University Life Suzanne Goldberg
January 16, 2018
A Conversation about the Rules of University Conduct and Invited Speakers on Campus
This post shares highlights from many conversations I have had this year with students and faculty about the Rules of University Conduct and their application to campus events with invited speakers. I have prioritized questions about student involvement in protests, though the Rules apply to other contexts as well.
October 30, 2017
FAQ about CU College Republicans Event with Mike Cernovich on 10/30/17
On permitted protest, free speech, campus safety and support for students, and more. The University does not agree with Mike Cernovich’s messages, but allows student organizations to invite speakers to campus, even when those speakers’ ideas are deeply offensive and objectionable. The University’s commitment to free expression, open debate, and the testing of ideas means that no message will be ruled out on the ground that it is untrue, offensive, or contrary to our values.
October 17, 2017
Provost John Coatsworth on disrupting speakers
It is the duty of every member of the community to help preserve freedom of speech for all, including protesters.
From Executive Vice President for University Life Suzanne Goldberg
October 16, 2017
Responding to speaker disruptions on campus
How does Columbia respond to disruptions of speakers who have been invited to our campus? A clarification of what University rules are, and are not.
October 16, 2017
President Lee Bollinger in the Columbia Spectator
President and Professor Lee C. Bollinger, First Amendment legal scholar, discusses the state of free speech on campus in an interview with the Columbia Spectator.
From Executive Vice President for University Life Suzanne Goldberg
October 10, 2017
Contentious speakers on our campus
It is foundational to Columbia's learning and teaching missions that we allow for the contestation of ideas. This includes expression of ideas that are deeply unpopular, offensive to many in our community, contrary to research-based understanding, and antagonistic to University tenets.
President Bollinger’s Fall 2017 Convocation
August 27, 2017
We Must Grapple with Complex Ideas and Defend our Values
The entire system we have built up over a century critically depends upon judges and leaders condemning the content of the speech at the same time we insist on “protecting” or “tolerating” it.
President Bollinger’s Spring 2017 Commencement Address
May 17, 2017
Towards a Public Discourse Based on Tolerance, Not on Fear
Anyone with a voice can shout over a speaker; but being able to listen to and then effectively rebut those with whom we disagree—particularly those who themselves peddle intolerance—is one of the greatest skills our education can bestow. And it is something our democracy desperately needs more of.
From Executive Vice President for University Life Suzanne Goldberg
March 2016
Speech, Protest and the Rules of University Conduct
The rules are "intended to ensure that all members of our community may engage in our cherished traditions of free expression and open debate."