Dear President Alivisatos and Provost Baicker,

We are writing to bring to your attention the AAUP’s statement “In Defense of the Right to Free Speech and Peaceful Protest on University Campuses”, which our chapter has signed. We would particularly like to note its call on institutional leaders “to keep armed law enforcement off campuses”.

As the Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Protest and Dissent, established by the Provost of the University of Chicago in 2013, states, “In our view, dissent and protest are integral to the life of the University. Dissent and protest should be affirmatively welcomed, not merely tolerated, by the University. Especially in a university community, the absence of dissent and protest—not its presence—is a cause for concern. The passionate expression of non-conforming ideas is both a cause and an effect of the intellectual climate that defines this University in particular. In addition, dissent and protest—and public demonstrations by groups and individuals—play a role in the University’s educational mission: being a member of an educational community that values dissent and protest is, in part, how people develop as citizens of a democracy.” And as the report further states, “Vocal protest, and demonstrations in particular, are by their nature disruptive to some degree.”

We hope that you will continue to exercise the caution you have so far shown in not using law enforcement, and the threat of violence it brings, against our current student protestors. A change in this policy would certainly be seen by a large segment of the academic community as an utter betrayal of the University of Chicago’s commitment to freedom of expression.

Sincerely,

    The Officers of the UChicago Advocacy Chapter of the AAUP

      Anton Ford

       Elaine Hadley

       Denis Hirschfeldt

       Willemien Otten

       Ken Warren