Resolution Concerning Academic Freedom and Viewpoint Diversity
Whereas, ​Northwestern University ​declares i​ n its Student Handbook that all students are “free
to assemble, to demonstrate, to communicate, and to protest,” recognizing that freedom
requires order, discipline, and responsibility and further recognizing the right of all faculty and
students to pursue their legitimate goals without interference”;
Whereas, ​Northwestern further states that “students may invite and hear speakers of their
choice on subjects of their choice, and approval will not be withheld by University officers for
the purpose of censorship,” that “students will be free from censorship in the publication and
dissemination of their views,” and that “a student is free . . . to engage in all campus activities,
exercising the right of a citizen of the community, state, and nation”;
Whereas, ​Northwestern claims to support “freedom of speech, freedom of inquiry, freedom of
dissent, and freedom to demonstrate in a peaceful manner,” and prohibits students from
depriving “others of . . . participation in a University activity” or disrupting the “regularly
scheduled activities of the University,” including extracurricular activities;
Whereas​, Northwestern has engaged in actions that violate its stated commitment to freedom
of speech and freedom of dissent, including the​ ​censorship​ of a faculty-produced bioethics
journal, where an article about oral sex sparked administrators’ concern over the Feinberg
School of Medicine’s “brand”;
Whereas​, Palestinian activist Bassem Eid ​canceled ​a scheduled speech at Northwestern’s Hillel
in February of 2016, due to the presence of hecklers and a fear that he “could not present his
views in a free and open way;”
Whereas, ​Northwestern​ ​states​ that it is “committed to fostering an environment of diversity
and equal opportunity” and that it “provides resources to prevent discrimination [and] foster
diversity;”
Whereas​, Northwestern’s​ ​strategic plan​ is composed of four main principles, or “pillars,” which
are intended to guide Northwestern towards achieving significant goals in these four areas;
Whereas​, one of these four pillars, “Connect,” is intended to “close the gap between intentions
and outcomes to connect individuals from widely diverse backgrounds and life experiences to a
truly inclusive community;”
Whereas​, as part of the “Connect” pillar, Northwestern intends to “vitalize [the] community of
faculty, staff, and students with diversity of race and ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation,
religion and geographic origin, political perspective and economic condition;”

 Whereas, ​President Morton Schapiro recently ​wrote ​that Northwestern “is committed to being
a welcoming and inclusive community for all, regardless of their beliefs”;
Whereas​, the benefits of diversity for organizations, including universities, have been studied
by organizational behavior researchers for decades;
Whereas, ​researchers​ ​have​ ​found​ that diverse backgrounds and personalities increases
performance, creativity, and problem-solving abilities, and forces members of a group to
anticipate and better handle conflict when it arises;
Whereas​, viewpoint diversity primarily, but not exclusively, refers to political and ideological
diversity, as well as academic background, styles of research, and research fields;
Whereas​,​ ​studies​ have found that a person’s psychological and political beliefs change how they
view facts or observations that “have a significant political and ideological valence”;
Whereas​,​ ​psychologists​ and other ​academics ​have cautioned that researchers’ values can
“shape what research is conducted and how that research is interpreted”—and thus lead to
biased research findings;
Whereas​, social scientists have​ ​argued​ that the credibility of their science relies on their ability
and “self-critical efforts to monitor and minimize the influence of scientifically irrelevant values
on inquiry”;
Whereas, ​the presence of diverse ​viewpoints ​is absolutely essential for academia to uphold
research ethics and counter unconscious biases in research;
Whereas​, diverse viewpoints will foster creativity and innovation within academia, which is
imperative for the development of new research hypotheses and methodology;
Whereas​, ​viewpoint ​diversity and academic freedom have been threatened at universities
throughout the country;
Whereas, ​in the past three years alone, two lawmakers in Wisconsin ​threatened ​to withhold
funding from UW-Madison because they were offended by courses dealing with race and
ethnicity, Tennessee passed a ​law p
​ rohibiting universities from using public funds for a “sex
week” or to “promote the use of gender neutral pronouns”, South Carolina lawmakers ​voted ​to
cut funding to two colleges that assigned LGBT-themed books as required reading for freshmen,
and a Michigan Senate subcommittee ​threatened t​ o fine universities for “any instructional
activity that encourages or discourages union organizing of employees”;
Whereas​, universities have rejected the formation of certain student groups because of their
political beliefs or viewpoints, ​including ​Students for Justice in Palestine at Fordham University,
an NAACP chapter at Catholic University, pro-life groups at Johns Hopkins and Gonzaga

 University, an LGBT group at Hampton University, Christian groups at Princeton and Pace
Universities, and finally, Turning Point USA at Northwestern;
Whereas, ​communities ​across America, including ​universities​, are more ideologically
segregated than they have been in the post-war period;
Whereas​, viewpoint homogeneity has negative consequences beyond the university, as
ideologically congruent ​communities ​tend to elect more extreme members of Congress, are
more ​intolerant​, and hold more extreme opinions themselves;
Whereas​, the causes of social justice and free speech are not mutually exclusive nor radically
opposed viewpoints;
Whereas​, this is not a call for lessening academic rigor standards in the process of hiring and
retaining faculty and staff, nor allowing scientifically inaccurate statements to be taught or
Northwestern’s Non-Discrimination and Harassment Policy to be violated;
Whereas, ​the education of Northwestern students, inside and outside the classroom, is
negatively impacted by censorship (of both faculty and students), viewpoint homogeneity, and
biased or flawed research among faculty;
Be it resolved​, that the Associated Student Government here assembled calls upon
Northwestern University to allow speakers of all viewpoints, assuming they are invited by a
student or university organization, conduct themselves in a lawful manner, and do not violate
the university's policy on harassment, to speak on campus without the threat of disruption, and
to enforce the policies set forth in the Student Handbook, should disruption occur;
Be it further resolved​, that this body calls upon the Northwestern administration to allow and
protect peaceful protests by members of the Northwestern community, assuming those
protests adhere to the policies put forth in the Student Handbook;
Be it further resolved ​that this body calls upon the Northwestern administration to only restrict
speech insofar as it is unlawful, discriminatory, harassing, or threatening, or invades substantial
privacy or confidentiality interests;
Be it further resolved​, that this body calls upon Northwestern’s administration to continue to
expand organizational diversity statements and efforts to include viewpoint and intellectual
diversity;
Be it further resolved​, that this body calls upon the Northwestern administration to oppose the
censorship or attempted censorship of faculty and students, as happened to Professor Alice
Dreger;

 Be it further resolved​ that this body calls upon the Northwestern administration to resist any
attempts by local, state and federal governments to censor or suppress the freedom of speech
of students, faculty, or administrators, provided that they do not purport to be speaking on
behalf of the school;
Be it finally resolved​, that this body calls upon Northwestern’s administration, faculty, and
student body, to embrace the discussion and study of uncomfortable or heterodox ideas.
Respectfully Submitted,
Author:
Lauren Thomas, PHA Senator
Sponsors:
Shayna Servillas, Kaibigan, TASC, VSA, Singapore Society Senator
Alexander Oltarsh, College Republicans Senator
Dillon Saks, District 2 Residential Senator
Isabel Anaya, District 7 Residential Senator
Tommy Doles, Athletic Senator
Charlie Valdes, IFC Senator