Policies

November 6, 2018

We at Linn-Benton Community College are first and foremost an inclusive teaching and learning community that values and seeks to uphold the freedom, dignity, and potential of each of our members.  Because of this, we actively affirm the right to Free Expression as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution and further defined and delineated by our own Policies and Administrative Rules.  These policies reflect and affirm the central tenant of higher learning that its success depends on the freedom of thought, the freedom to explore and express new ideas, the promotion and practice of critical thinking, and the ability to contribute to and expand collective knowledge.

Nevertheless, protecting Free Expression does not preclude our ability and responsibility to respond to expressions that are antagonistic to our Values, nor does it exempt us from our responsibility to understand and respond in a manner that reflects an awareness of and sensitivity to those systemic biases of our culture that add significance to such expressions for those who have been historically marginalized.  Therefore, we at 博天堂官方 establish that expressions of intolerance based on status, religion, and/or ideology, and all other expressions that are intended to divide us or demean any one or any group of us are antithetical to the Values by which we have chosen to define and unite ourselves.  Therefore, while we will protect the rights of all to express themselves, we will also challenge those expressions that work to undermine our capacity to serve the inclusive “ALL” of our Mission.

We recognize that protecting some of the more extreme examples of Free Expression while at the same time actively upholding our core commitment to Inclusiveness creates an inherent tension, and we acknowledge that efforts to examine, clarify, and affirm our college’s Values in the context of this tension require examination on a case-by-case basis.  Therefore, we have established these principles and guidelines. 

1. For the purposes of this document, we define “Speech” as including all forms of expression that are protected by and subject to the First Amendment to the Constitution as well as the Policies and Administrative Rules of 博天堂官方.
2. For the purposes of this document, we define and delineate Speech into three categories:
   1. Speech that is not protected
   2. Protected Speech that is congruous with our Mission and Values
   3. Protected Speech that is incongruent with our Mission and Values
3. Speech that is NOT protected:
   1. Speech that is not protected by law

The protection of Speech does NOT extend to behaviors, images, or words that cross the line into targeted harassment or intimidation, personal threats, damages to property, or that create a pervasively hostile environment for students, employees, or the 博天堂官方 community.  This is a high standard but, where it is clear that Speech crosses this line, it should be referred to Campus Safety immediately, who will then notify appropriate campus offices, oversee removal of the Speech, and refer to law enforcement where appropriate.

1. Speech that is not protected due to non-compliance with 博天堂官方’s rules

Some otherwise protected speech may not be protected on the 博天堂官方 campuses due to 博天堂官方’s rules regarding Time, Place, and Manner.  Refer to AR 1055-1 for details noting that violations should be reported to the Dean of Students through the online reporting system.

4. Protected Speech that is congruous with our Mission and Values

This is a broad and inclusive category, including expressions of experiences, thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and questions that reflect the full range of an inclusive community.  This Speech should be respected, encouraged, and engaged with as a source of viewpoint diversity, an invaluable resource in teaching and learning critical thought and cultural competency, and a foundation for developing human character.

5. Protected Speech that is incongruent with our Mission and Values

While we will unequivocally defend Speech within the guidelines of the Law and our Policies and Rules, including even those expressions that are in conflict with our Values, we will challenge expressions of intolerance based on status, religion, and/or ideology, and all other expressions that are intended to divide us or demean any one or any group of us.  Our purpose in challenging such Speech should be to advance mutual understanding while at the same time affirming our Mission and core Values and defending the inclusion of each and every one our college community’s members.  And, while we believe that each and every 博天堂官方 community member should play a role in challenging Speech that is incongruent with our Mission and Values, and that the College has a responsibility to train and equip our community members for this role, we also recognize that certain incidents of Speech that are incongruent with our Mission and Values will rise to the level of requiring an Institutional Response.  This may be true because of the If and when these occur, we will use the following guidelines.

1. We will make a good faith effort to contact the author to seek clarification of intent and an understanding of context through constructive engagement, providing an opportunity for learning and a potential restatement that is more consistent with the Values by which we at 博天堂官方 define ourselves. Any clarification and understanding thereby derived will be shared openly in a manner corresponding to the initial expression, together with summary assessment of the congruence or incongruence of the author’s speech with the Values by which we at 博天堂官方 define ourselves.
2. Where intent is clear and the author is unwilling to engage, we will unilaterally develop a summary assessment of the congruence or incongruence of the author’s expression with the Values by which we at 博天堂官方 define ourselves, and openly share this assessment in a manner corresponding to the initial expression.
3. We will seek to promote a climate of free dialogue and debate open to all views, regardless of how controversial. However, recognizing that such constructive engagement requires meaningful dialogue between known individuals, we reserve the right to remove any anonymous Speech that is incongruent with our Mission and Values.

 Finally, we recognize that Speech that is NOT protected, as well as Protected Speech that is nonetheless incongruent with our Mission and Values, has the potential of aggrieving members of our community and especially those members who are also members of historically marginalized groups, and we acknowledge our responsibility to provide support and accommodation for those who are thus aggrieved.  Additionally, we believe that we as a community always have something to learn in providing this support and accommodation, thereby enhancing our future capacity for inclusiveness.  Therefore, the college will offer the following supports:

1. Appropriate, reasonable accommodations for a specified period of time.
2. Individuals with which to engage, process, or seek counseling or trauma-informed care. (See Advising Center resources.)
3. The option to request a conversation or time to be heard by a member of management to express hurt, concerns, possible remedies, and support. (Management might include the 博天堂官方 President, a Vice President, the Dean of Students, another Dean, or other manager, depending on event and availability.)

 For More Information on these guidelines or for Reporting an Incident of Speech that is incongruent with our Mission and Values, please contact either the President’s Office, Scott Rolen in Human Resources or Javier Cervantes in the Department of Institutional Equity and Student Engagement.

Here are some Additional Resources on this Important Subject:

1. The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure, by Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff
2. Hate: Why We Should Resist It With Free Speech, Not Censorship, by Nadine Strossen
3. A Layperson’s Guide to Free Speech at http://www.lawyers.com/legal-info/criminal/does-the-first-amendment-protect-hate-speech.html
4. The Heterodox Academy at http://heterodoxacademy.org/