Campus Freedom Initiative™
Free expression is the necessary precondition for the unfettered search for truth on the college campus.
Northwestern University
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 Northwestern University Gold Standard evaluation. Northwestern University receives credit for eight out of twenty Gold Standard measures. Our research highlights Northwestern University strengths in protecting free expression and identifies areas it must work on to improve the student experience. Explore the full Northwestern University Gold Standard evaluation to learn more.
ACTA Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™| COMMIT TO A CULTURE OF FREE EXPRESSION | Northwestern University |
|---|---|
| Adopt the Chicago Principles on Freedom of Expression or a similarly strong statement. | No evidence of Northwestern adopting the Chicago Principles or a similar statement could be found. The university’s statement on free expression and institutional speech is insufficient to meet this measure. |
| Establish clear expectations regarding free expression in student and faculty handbooks and codes of conduct. | |
| Include a free expression unit in new-student orientations. | No materials showing Northwestern 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. | |
| FOSTER CIVIL DISCOURSE | Northwestern University |
| Sponsor campus debates that model civil discourse. | No materials showing Northwestern meets this measure could be found. Requests to university officials for such materials remain unanswered. |
| 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. | Evidence suggests that Northwestern has failed to enforce its free expression policies across all political student organizations. |
| Cultivate Intellectual Diversity | Northwestern University |
| 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. | No materials showing Northwestern 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. | Northwestern no longer permits DEI statements for hiring, but no postings make it clear that the university is open to intellectual diversity. |
| Break Down Barriers to Free Expression | Northwestern University |
| 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. | Policies defining harassment contain elements likely to chill free expression. |
| Disband bias response teams. | Northwestern 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 prohibiting such discrimination could be found. Requests to university officials for such materials remain unanswered. |
| Advance Leadership Accountability | Northwestern University |
| 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. | No statement on free expression could be found in the available leadership search profiles. Northwestern is actively searching for its 18th president, but the position profile is not available yet. |
| Require free expression and viewpoint diversity training for administrative staff. | No materials showing Northwestern 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 Northwestern meets this measure could be found. Requests to university officials for such materials remain unanswered. |
WHO WE ARE
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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