Can North Carolina Achieve a Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression?

ACTA’s North Carolina Report Card

North Carolina’s public universities have made progress in promoting free expression, but new research from ACTA’s Campus Freedom Initiative™ (CFI) shows that most of the state’s major public institutions still have work to do to ensure their campuses encourage open inquiry and welcome different points of view.

CFI surveyed nearly 2,300 current undergraduates and recent alumni from East Carolina University, North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, the University of North Carolina–Charlotte, and UNC–Greensboro. Our survey shows students want more free expression and intellectual diversity, but it also found troubling levels of self-censorship as well as support for punishing those who express unpopular views.

CFI’s North Carolina Report Card evaluates these five public universities against our Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™, a 20-point action plan for returning higher education to its bedrock mission of excellence and open inquiry. All five universities have many strengths. They have adopted robust statements on protecting free expression and strong policies of institutional neutrality. They are committed to promoting civil discourse, and they have reasonable policies that protect free expression rights and set clear consequences for disruptive activities. Among these universities, UNC–Chapel Hill stands out as ACTA’s first published 20/20 Gold Standard score.

At the same time, each university except UNC–Chapel Hill must take additional steps to strengthen campus freedom. Many should take action to foster intellectual diversity in faculty hiring and promotion processes. They should also create academic centers dedicated to free inquiry and intellectual diversity, require free expression and viewpoint diversity training for administrative staff, and include free expression criteria in searches and evaluations for presidents, provosts, and deans.

By implementing our Gold Standard recommendations, these universities can make North Carolina’s public system of higher education a model for the nation.

ACTA Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™
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Comparative
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
North Carolina State University
University of North Carolina-Charlotte
East Carolina University
University of North Carolina-Greensboro
Filter:
COMMIT TO A CULTURE OF FREE EXPRESSIONUNCNCSUUNCCECUUNCG
Adopt the Chicago Principles on Freedom of Expression or a similarly strong statement.
Establish clear expectations regarding free expression in student and faculty handbooks and codes of conduct.
Include a free expression unit in new-student orientations.
Protect the diversity of political viewpoints by adopting an institutional neutrality policy such as the Kalven Report.
FOSTER CIVIL DISCOURSEUNCNCSUUNCCECUUNCG
Sponsor campus debates that model civil discourse.
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.
Enforce policies that protect free expression rights on campus and apply clear consequences for disruption of sponsored speakers, events, and classes. 
Cultivate Intellectual DiversityUNCNCSUUNCCECUUNCG
Encourage presidents, provosts, and deans to model respect for a broad range of viewpoints.
Guarantee that viewpoint diversity is reflected in student life policies and practices.
Support academic centers dedicated to free inquiry and intellectual diversity.
Ensure faculty hiring, evaluation, and promotion processes are based on merit and make clear that the institution is open to intellectual diversity.
Break Down Barriers to Free ExpressionUNCNCSUUNCCECUUNCG
Eliminate speech and IT policies that have a chilling effect on free expression.
Ensure that enforcement of Title VI, Title VII, and Title IX does not infringe on free expression.
Disband bias response teams.
Review student government policies to ensure viewpoint neutrality in student group recognition and funding.
Advance Leadership AccountabilityUNCNCSUUNCCECUUNCG
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.
Require free expression and viewpoint diversity training for administrative staff.
Conduct regular surveys or other quantitative studies of students and faculty to assess the state of free expression and intellectual diversity on campus.

Campus Experience Survey: An Assessment of Students at Four-year Public Universities in North Carolina

Our survey of 2,270 current undergraduates and recent alumni from East Carolina University, North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, the University of North Carolina–Charlotte, and UNC–Greensboro reveals a mix of support for and intolerance of free expression and intellectual diversity. Explore the full survey report to learn more.

View Survey Results

46

%

of undergraduates say the political climate on campus prevents them from expressing their beliefs.

85

%

of undergraduates say they have not received training on campus free expression policies.

23

%

of undergraduates say shouting down a campus speaker is never acceptable.

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Launched in 1995, we are the only organization that works with alumni, donors, trustees, and education leaders across the United States to support liberal arts education, uphold high academic standards, safeguard the free exchange of ideas on campus, and ensure that the next generation receives an intellectually rich, high-quality college education at an affordable price.

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