The Chicago Principles
The Chicago Principles articulate the importance of free expression as an essential feature of the university.
Campus Freedom Initiative™
ACTA’s Campus Freedom Initiative™ equips institutions, trustees, and policymakers with the tools to strengthen a culture of open inquiry and civil discourse. Through practical guidance and resources grounded in ACTA’s Gold Standard for Free Expression, the initiative helps colleges and universities uphold their commitment to intellectual diversity and the free exchange of ideas.
What does a culture of free expression look like?
See why this matters and how you can be part of the solution.
Campus
Campaigns
ACTA encourages all colleges and universities in America to take the actions listed in our Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression. In our campus campaigns, we analyze the policies and practices of specific schools using the Gold Standard and recommend next steps they should take to better support a culture of free expression and intellectual diversity on their campuses.
ACTA’s Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™
Below are actions you can take to build a culture of free expression on your campus.
Commit to a Culture of Free Expression
- 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 Discourse
- 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 Diversity
- 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 Expression
- 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 Accountability
- 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.
Are you concerned about freedom of expression on your campus?
Contact Us
OTHER
INITIATIVES
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.
Discover MoreSTAY INFORMED
Sign up to receive updates on the most pressing issues facing our college campuses.