On Campus Expressive Activity and Public Safety
Dear Lumberjacks,
In the past few weeks, we have closely monitored campus protests nationwide. Looking to our own campus, I am proud of how Lumberjacks have prioritized the safety of our community, upheld the virtues of academic freedom, championed free expression, and rejected hate and bigotry in all its forms.
As we enter the final two weeks of our spring semester, informed by recent events playing out on campus lawns near and far, we must continue to tend to our campus climate and safeguard the people, places, and spaces upon which free expression, academic freedom, and the pursuit of knowledge can thrive.
To this end, I write to share three guiding principles that will allow NAU to continue to elevate its mission and commitment to our community:
First
We will seek to sustain a teaching and learning environment that cultivates the opportunity for our community to engage in informed and multifaceted conversations about the most crucial geopolitical and humanitarian issues of our day, contribute to advancing knowledge and understanding, and power a more just, prosperous, and sustainable world.
Second
We will commit to clear and open lines of communication with all who choose to elevate their voices for the causes they believe in and will support their right to appropriately assemble, protest, and demonstrate, while also ensuring that the university continues to advance its educational mission.
Third
We will adopt an interim policy on campus expressive activity and public safety to ensure that applicable laws and NAU and ABOR policies are clear. This will include our strong support for free speech and our responsibility to maintain reasonable time, place, and manner guidelines related to free expression. Importantly, the policy will also note that protests, demonstrations, and other expressive activity may not compromise public safety, impede the free movement of individuals or vehicles, damage university property, or interfere with regular university activities or operations. Additionally, expressive activities and temporary structures are prohibited on campus outside of standard operating times of 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
As we close out our semester and head into the 125th year of our university’s proud legacy of leadership, I am confident in our collective ability to elevate excellence and build the New NAU we envision—always remembering the centuries-old statement that it is in universities where the soul of a people mirrors itself.
In partnership,
José Luis Cruz Rivera
President