Feedback requested: Report on the Role of the University in Political Action

September 8, 2022

Dear UC Berkeley faculty and staff, 

The Joint Senate-Administration Workgroup on The Role of the University and its Units in Political Action has completed a draft report and is seeking input from faculty and staff members. The report proposes guidelines and best practices for statements on current events by campus units, including statements on departmental websites and social media channels. The workgroup’s recommendations aim to balance the right to free expression with the restraint sometimes necessary to sustain a community where all can feel a true sense of belonging.  

Among its recommendations are the suggestion that academic and administrative departments establish clear processes for deciding who can speak for the unit, as well as processes to guard against overt or inadvertent suppression of minority views.  

As background, the systemwide University Committee on Academic Freedom issued recommendations earlier this year. 

You can read the report here. Please share your feedback on this form by Monday, Nov. 7, 2022. 

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Carol T. Christ, Chancellor

Benjamin Hermalin, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost