Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

Free Speech Working Group Charge, Membership Announced

Monday, October 28, 2019, By News Staff
Share
Chancellor Kent SyverudUniversity Senate

During last month’s University Senate meeting, Chancellor Kent Syverud urged the campus community to consider how the University can promote free speech—including the provocative, uncomfortable and controversial—while maintaining a respectful learning environment. As a follow up to those remarks, Chancellor Syverud today announced the members of the newly formed Free Speech Working Group, as well as the group’s charge.

“Each of our faculty members—and each of our students—needs in the pursuit of knowledge to be able to say things and write things that can be troubling, provocative and at times makes many of the rest of us profoundly uncomfortable. Our students and faculty need to be protected in doing this from retribution except in very limited circumstances,” Chancellor Syverud said in remarks to the University Senate Sept. 18. “If we really want to protect our faculty and students in their free speech and in their pursuit of knowledge, we cannot silence people who express uncomfortable views.”

The Free Speech Working Group is charged with reviewing policies governing free speech and civil discourse at the University and suggesting revisions to further enhance a culture of open dialogue and diversity of thought on campus. It will be co-chaired by Steven Bennett, senior vice president for academic operations, and Amy Falkner, interim dean of the Newhouse School. The members of the working group are:

  • David Edelstein, Board of Trustees representative
  • Mackenzie Ess, graduate student representative
  • Roy Gutterman, director of the Tully Center for Free Speech and associate professor of magazine, news and digital journalism in the Newhouse School
  • Marcelle Haddix, chair of reading and language arts and Dean’s Professor, School of Education
  • Lujane Juburi, undergraduate student representative
  • Natalie Maier, Student Bar Association representative
  • Bobby Maldonaldo, chief of the Department of Public Safety
  • Gladys McCormick, associate professor of history in the Maxwell School
  • Reinaldo Pascual, Board of Trustees representative
  • Richard Thompson, Board of Trustees representative
  • Marianne Thomson, associate vice president for student experience and dean of students

Ex officio members of the working group include Dolan Evanovich, senior vice president for enrollment and the student experience; Dan French, senior vice president and general counsel; and Candace Campbell Jackson, senior vice president and chief of staff.

As part of Chancellor Syverud’s charge, the group’s review of policies should assure the right to free speech and provide parameters to help secure that right. It should also address the behaviors that provide barriers to a person’s access to free speech and outline how the University should respond to such an incident or behavior. The group is expected to deliver interim recommendations to Chancellor Syverud in January 2020 and final recommendations by May 2020.

  • Author

News Staff

  • Recent
  • Neal Powless Inducted Into American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame
    Tuesday, June 3, 2025, By Kelly Homan Rodoski
  • Japan’s Crackdown on ‘Shiny’ Names Sparks Cultural Reflection
    Tuesday, June 3, 2025, By Keith Kobland
  • The Milton Legacy: Romance, Success and Giving Back
    Monday, June 2, 2025, By Eileen Korey
  • Five Tips to Protect Your Health and Prepare for Worsening Air Conditions
    Monday, June 2, 2025, By Daryl Lovell
  • Newhouse Professor Robert Thompson Featured on ‘NBC Nightly News’ for Pop Culture Lecture Series
    Monday, June 2, 2025, By Keith Kobland

More In Campus & Community

Neal Powless Inducted Into American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame

You could say that lacrosse is in Neal Powless’s blood. Powless G’08, the University ombuds, is a member of the Onondaga Nation Eel Clan. He is the son, grandson and brother of legendary lacrosse players. Powless picked up a lacrosse…

The Milton Legacy: Romance, Success and Giving Back

Growing up, Stacey Milton Leal ’75 and Chris Milton heard countless stories about how Syracuse University brought their parents together in what would turn out to be a fairy tale romance with a happy forever ending. So it was no…

Syracuse University Libraries’ Information Literacy Scholars Produce Information Literacy Collab Journal

Earlier this month, Syracuse University Libraries’ Information Literacy Scholars published their first open access information literacy journal, Information Literacy Collab (ILC). It is available on SURFACE, the University’s open access institutional repository. ILC is a diamond open-access publication by and…

Trip to Atlanta Gives Falk Students ‘Real-World’ Opportunities and Connections

The city of Atlanta is home to professional sports franchises in major leagues: Atlanta United FC (Major League Soccer), the Braves (Major League Baseball), Dream (WNBA), Falcons (NFL), and Hawks (NBA). Atlanta also features professional teams in lacrosse, rugby, and…

Syracuse Spirit on Display: Limited-Edition Poster Supports Future Generations

The third annual fiscal-year end poster campaign is a wonderful way to celebrate Syracuse pride, expand your art collection and make a meaningful impact on the Orange community. As a token of appreciation for their generosity, the first 500 donors…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.