Campus Freedom Initiative™
Free expression is the necessary precondition for the unfettered search for truth on the college campus.
University of Miami
An ACTA Report Card on Free Expression
ACTA’s Campus Freedom Initiative™ (CFI) has evaluated universities in several states against our Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™, a 20-point action plan for reestablishing higher education’s commitment to excellence and open inquiry. Below we present the University of Miami Gold Standard evaluation. University of Miami receives credit for two out of twenty Gold Standard measures. Our research highlights University of Miami strengths in protecting free expression and identifies areas it must work on to improve the student experience. Explore the full University of Miami Gold Standard evaluation to learn more.
ACTA Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™| COMMIT TO A CULTURE OF FREE EXPRESSION | Miami |
|---|---|
| Adopt the Chicago Principles on Freedom of Expression or a similarly strong statement. | No evidence of UM adopting the Chicago Principles or a similar statement could be found. |
| Establish clear expectations regarding free expression in student and faculty handbooks and codes of conduct. | UM’s Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook meets this measure, but the Faculty Manual is not publicly available. Requests to university officials for such materials remain unanswered. |
| Include a free expression unit in new-student orientations. | No materials showing UM meets this measure could be found. Requests to university officials for such materials remain unanswered. |
| Protect the diversity of political viewpoints by adopting an institutional neutrality policy such as the Kalven Report. | No evidence of UM adopting an institutional neutrality policy could be found. |
| FOSTER CIVIL DISCOURSE | Miami |
| Sponsor campus debates that model civil discourse. | No materials showing UM meets this measure could be found. |
| Promote free expression by encouraging the establishment of student groups devoted to free expression, civil discourse, or representing a plurality of perspectives. | |
| Establish policies that protect free expression rights on campus and set clear consequences for disruption of sponsored speakers, events, and classes. | UM’s Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook imposes an unreasonable burden on organizing a demonstration and discourages spontaneous free expression. |
| Enforce policies that protect free expression rights on campus and apply clear consequences for disruption of sponsored speakers, events, and classes. | A failure to enforce free expression policies might have occurred in August 2024. A final resolution of this measure is pending further information from UM. |
| Cultivate Intellectual Diversity | Miami |
| Encourage presidents, provosts, and deans to model respect for a broad range of viewpoints. | No materials showing UM meets this measure could be found. |
| Guarantee that viewpoint diversity is reflected in student life policies and practices. | Policies defining disorderly conduct contain elements likely to chill free expression. |
| Support academic centers dedicated to free inquiry and intellectual diversity. | No materials showing UM meets this measure could be found. |
| Ensure faculty hiring, evaluation, and promotion processes are based on merit and make clear that the institution is open to intellectual diversity. | UM’s job postings do not make it clear that the university is open to intellectual diversity. |
| Break Down Barriers to Free Expression | Miami |
| Eliminate speech and IT policies that have a chilling effect on free expression. | Policies related to this measure contain elements likely to chill free expression. |
| Ensure that enforcement of Title VI, Title VII, and Title IX does not infringe on free expression. | Policies defining harassment contain elements likely to chill free expression. |
| Disband bias response teams. | UM has a program in place for students to report any bias concern. |
| Review student government policies to ensure viewpoint neutrality in student group recognition and funding. | No clear statements ensuring viewpoint neutrality could be found. Requests to university officials for such materials remain unanswered. Further, policies related to this measure contain elements likely to chill free expression. |
| Advance Leadership Accountability | Miami |
| Include commitments to free expression in mission statements, values statements, strategic plans, and other key institutional documents. | |
| Include a commitment to free expression as a criterion in searches and evaluations for presidents, provosts, and deans. | The 2025 provost position profile does not include a commitment to free expression. |
| Require free expression and viewpoint diversity training for administrative staff. | No materials showing UM meets this measure could be found. Requests to university officials for such materials remain unanswered. |
| Conduct regular surveys or other quantitative studies of students and faculty to assess the state of free expression and intellectual diversity on campus. | No materials showing UM meets this measure could be found. Requests to university officials for such materials remain unanswered. |
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