Chancellor Issues Statement on Free Speech, Justice, and Democracy at UMass

UMass Chancellor Javier Reyes sent a letter to the UMass community on August 23, 2024, affirming the commitment of campus leadership to free speech, diversity, justice, and democracy, and outlined several initiatives to support engagement on controversial issues impacting members of the campus community. But he also cautioned that those guarantees would be balanced with a commitment to protect the rights and safety of all students and to ensure compliance with established campus policies.

The communication follows a spring term that ended in turmoil with Reyes mobilizing a large police contingent to remove peaceful protestors from campus who had been advocating for peace and justice in Palestine and an immediate cease fire in Gaza. That action resulted in 134 arrests of students and local residents and an unprecedented violent response to political protest at UMass from the police (see e.g also here, here and here). Those actions resulted in the UMass faculty and several campus organizations voting no confidence in the chancellor last spring (see e.g. also here). Several of those arrested have been issued no trespass orders and are banned from campus for the coming academic year.

The announcement comes just prior of the return of UMass students for the fall term and with expectations across the nation that anti-war and pro-Palestine protests will resume. Many campuses have adopted strict policies governing speech and protest in anticipation of the resumption of protests. Reyes emphasized that there was room for protest at UMass but not to the degree that it interfered with the rights and safety of others.

Reyes’ full statement follows.

Dear Campus Community,

For many of us, the beginning of the fall semester is a time of joy and reunion; we return to our friends, our colleagues, and a community steeped in inquiry and discovery. At the same time, the return to campus can be a source of anxiety, highlighting projects that remain incomplete and issues that remain unresolved.

Like many of our university peers, we ended the spring semester with significant unresolved issues and fierce disagreements over how our campus community can maintain its commitment to activism without impeding our core mission of education, research and service.

As we prepare to start the new academic year, I want to provide an update on important work and dialogue on these issues that took place over the summer and will continue through the fall semester. 

The global impact of our university is a source of great pride, and as we seek to expand that global reach through our faculty’s groundbreaking research, our students’ engagement, and our alumni’s influence, we must also recognize that global events impact our community. Many of our friends, peers, colleagues and students are deeply affected by global conflicts, such as the ongoing war in Gaza, which touch them, their families and their community. 

While determining the appropriate response to these complex issues is an individual decision shaped by our deeply held beliefs, our humanity and our morals, those individual decisions can also impact others in our university community

UMass is exactly where these difficult conversations should be happening. Our university is a place where ideas are meant to be challenged and viewpoints championed. A commitment to the free and open exchange of ideas is at the core of who we are as a university and has informed our campus’ long history of activism.

Over the past few months, I’ve been heartened by our constructive dialogue. We’ve faced our differences and disagreements but stayed focused on moving forward together. These tough conversations show our commitment to our community. If we hold ourselves to this commitment, I believe we can make real progress in bridging our divides.

I am thankful to the dozens of faculty and community members, representing the full range of perspectives on activism and the university’s response, who have actively participated in small group and individual meetings with me and members of my administration to discuss the events of the past semester, reaffirm our commitment to freedom of speech and chart a constructive path forward. 

These meetings, many of which were initiated by faculty members reaching out to me, have focused on how we can foster a campus environment where challenging, complicated and controversial issues can be rigorously discussed and debated in our academic spaces and public forums in respectful, civil and constructive ways, and within the bounds of our policies and guidelines. They have occurred with a commitment to transparency and a willingness to consider differences of opinion. I have personally gained perspective by hearing impassioned arguments from a plurality of viewpoints, and I plan to build on that dialogue with faculty by deepening my engagement with students in the coming semester and speaking with staff at departmental and unit meetings across campus in the coming weeks.

Also over the summer, the Campus Demonstration Policy Task Force, which was charged with reviewing our campus demonstration policies and guidelines and making recommendations for potential improvements, worked diligently. The Task Force, which includes students, faculty and administrators, expects to complete their work at the end of this month, at which time I will communicate with the campus on next steps.

In addition, the independent review of the events leading up to and including May 7 -8 being conducted by Attorney Ralph C. Martin II, a partner at Prince Lobel, is underway. We anticipate that its findings will be issued to the Office of General Counsel in the fall semester. 

Finally, I have been inspired by the volume of workshops, programs, and initiatives that are being developed by faculty, staff and students to support dialogue across our differences. A sample includes:

• Intergroup Dialogue Initiative (IGDI):  Led by faculty and staff in the College of Education and Student Affairs and Campus Life, the IGDI aims to build relationships and promote dialogue around critical issues to bridge differences and foster collaboration across the campus community. 
  
• Community, Democracy, and Dialogue (CDD) Initiative: Launched in spring 2024, the CDD was formed as a way to help our community to engage with complex domestic and geopolitical issues through small group dialogue, campuswide events, and the support of grassroots efforts aimed at fostering mutual understanding and respect. The CDD offers grant funding to students, faculty, and staff to develop programs, activities, and events that promote diverse discourse and open dialogue. 
  
• Democracy in Troubled Times: Led by faculty in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences in collaboration with partners across campus, this campuswide initiative aims to explore and address the challenges facing democracy in these polarized times. Engagement opportunities include a dynamic speaker series, academic courses, get out the vote activities, and facilitated small group discussions. 
  
• UMass Faculty for Open Inquiry and Civil Dialogue: Created by faculty from colleges across campus, this independent faculty group is focused on fostering a campus environment of open inquiry and civil dialogue, while supporting academic freedom, encouraging diverse perspectives and valuing respectful debate. 
  
• Office of Faculty Development (OFD): The OFD is offering the workshop “Leading with Connection, Care, and Challenge Through Difficult Times” aimed at helping faculty and leaders to develop a values-centered approach to leadership. 
  
• Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL): The CTL is hosting the facilitated discussion “Preparing Ourselves for Challenging Times” for faculty to explore and think deeply about the role our classes should play in addressing or acknowledging challenging events.
  
• Conversation Commons: Launching this fall through Campus Life and Wellbeing and the Advocacy, Inclusion, and Support collaboratives of Student Affairs and Campus Life, Conversation Commons will provide students with opportunities to connect in the dining commons for community and conversation. 
  
• Center for Multicultural Advancement and Student Success (CMASS): In partnership with the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life, CMASS will be launching a book club in each of its cultural centers to read and discuss the book I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times.
   
• Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Conference: The third annual JEDI Conference will be held September 18-19, 2024, and will include a range of workshops, discussions and networking opportunities focused on building community and cultivating belonging at UMass Amherst. This year’s theme is “Growing Our Roots, Strengthening UMass From the Ground Up” and will focus on cultivating our ability to communicate across differences

As we continue the important work of understanding our differences and finding common ground in our shared commitment to free speech, debate and learning, we must also acknowledge our collective responsibility to ensure that our campus remains a place where equity and inclusion are embraced and the rights of every member of our community are respected. Our students must be able to learn. Our faculty must be able to teach and conduct research. Our staff must be able to support the work of the university.

I want to reaffirm our commitment to freedom of speech and peaceful demonstration. I also want to remind our community that we have guidelines related to demonstrations that provide direction to our campus community and visitors regarding time, place, and manner for activism on our campus. These policies, applied in a viewpoint-neutral manner, protect the right to engage in peaceful demonstrations and empower, enable and champion freedom of speech while ensuring that demonstrations neither infringe upon the rights of others nor obstruct the operations of the campus.

I recognize that we have a lot of work ahead us as we strive to strengthen community. These earnest efforts to listen to each other and engage in respectful dialogue, even and especially across differences, is a source of great optimism for me as your chancellor. 

Sincerely,

Javier A. Reyes
Chancellor