As the campus prepares for Convocation Tuesday to formally open the new academic year, we are writing to affirm the shared responsibility of all students, faculty and staff to sustain Brown as a vibrant community of teaching and learning. Every member of our community is expected to become familiar with the policies and codes of conduct that uphold our values and foster a safe and supportive campus for everyone in the months ahead.

 

The past year brought both challenges and milestones. On campus and beyond, national and global issues shone a light on universities like Brown, raising debates about free expression, diversity of perspectives, and valuing the experiences of others, as well as the fundamental role of higher education. Yet even in this highly politicized climate, we witnessed many examples of Brown community members engaging across differences with conviction, empathy and care. Together, these experiences underscore the importance of ongoing efforts to cultivate an open and respectful academic environment.

 

In this letter, we remind our community of (1) standards to apply throughout the year for protest and demonstration that respect the rights of others; (2) how our decades-long commitment to protecting freedom of expression continues to guide us as an institution; and (3) the policies and codes of conduct that safeguard our mission and values. Please read this letter closely. While much included in this communication reflects the guidance we shared at the start of the last academic year, we include some updated information about our policies and standards for all members of our community.

 

Notably, last spring, Brown adopted the Statement of University Values and Voice, developed by a faculty-led committee with broad community input, and then approved by the Corporation of Brown University. This undertaking brought definition to the core values that have long guided and continued to fortify Brown as a community of scholars. These values are intended to guide Brown in fulfilling its mission for decades to come, and all members of our community are expected to conduct themselves in alignment with them.

 

Protest and demonstration have long been respected as acceptable forms of expression at Brown. This is reflected in our core values, which recognize “the right to communicate ideas and engage in reasoned and informed protest, dissent and criticism.”

 

At the same time, as part of a decades-long standard, protests must follow established time, place and manner standards to ensure that all community members can teach, learn and participate fully in University life. Protests that infringe on the rights of others to peaceful assembly, free exchange of ideas, or access to University facilities and functions are prohibited. Discrimination, harassment or any behavior that seeks to silence or intimidate others runs directly counter to the commitment to upholding the right to learn and discover without interference articulated in Brown’s mission (specifically, we “serve the community, the nation and the world by discovering, communicating and preserving knowledge and understanding in a spirit of free inquiry”) and cannot be tolerated.

 

We are committed to firmly enforcing our policies and pursuing discipline for violations of Brown’s Nondiscrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy, as well as other policies and codes of conduct. These include the Protest and Demonstration Policy, the Event Disruption Protocol, the University Code of Conduct, and the Code of Student Conduct, among others. A full list of associated policies is included at the end of this letter.

Concerns about harassment or discrimination should be submitted through the University’s Report an Incident system. (In emergencies, contact the Department of Public Safety at 401-863-4111, or dial 911.)

 

Academic freedom — defined in Brown’s core institutional values as the ability to investigate, teach and learn without interference or censorship — is essential to Brown’s mission. This dates back to Brown’s “Statement on Academic Freedom for Faculty and Students” (Faculty Rules and Regulations, page 139), which was recommended by the faculty and approved by the Brown Corporation in 1966. It affirms that “faculty members and students alike shall enjoy full freedom in their teaching, learning and research” as part of a commitment to the free exchange of ideas.

 

For more than 60 years, members of our community have shared a commitment to ensure that their classmates, students and colleagues could access the full breadth of University resources and activities, free from interference, censorship, discrimination or harassment. And freedom of expression ensures that all members of our community can share ideas while also respecting the rights of others to do the same. By asserting their rights to protest or demonstrate, no individual can decide for others in our community which ideas will or will not enjoy the right to free expression.

 

This shared understanding has endured during previous periods of social change and sharp political divides. We must re-commit ourselves to these values as we find ourselves living through a divisive period once again. They have guided Brown through times of fervent debate and enabled us to learn across differences.

 

Even as we re-assert this commitment, we know that many in our community continue to have questions about support for academic freedom and free expression in light of Brown’s resolution agreement with the government. The agreement announced in July restores federal research funding and resolves federal review of Brown’s compliance with antidiscrimination laws, and we want to take every opportunity to make clear that it does not in any way change our commitment to foster free inquiry, discovery and innovation. The agreement states specifically that “no provision of this agreement, individually or taken together, shall be construed as giving the United States authority to dictate Brown’s curriculum or the content of academic speech.”

 

Brown has long been committed to following the law while maintaining our values, and this includes a core imperative to sustain and protect academic freedom and free expression. Brown also remains steadfast in its commitment to being a welcoming and inclusive community. We continue to support students, faculty and staff from a wide range of backgrounds and identities.

 

As we shared last year, Brown is fortunate to have well-established and regularly reviewed policies that provide clear guidance for upholding our values and community standards. These policies are not new, although there are periodic updates.

 

Last academic year, we updated the Protest and Demonstration Policy and the Nondiscrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy in alignment with the University’s July 2024 voluntary resolution agreement with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to strengthen our response to reports of discrimination and harassment. The Code of Student Conduct was refreshed ahead of the 2024-25 academic year after its standard every-five-year review, and updates are currently underway for the University Green Space Usage Policy, while the University also is developing a policy on facility and space use. 

 

Please review the following policies that will be enforced throughout the year, and consult them regularly to ensure awareness of any updates:

 

In addition, members of Brown’s senior administration are working with their departments in the relevant areas to implement provisions of the federal agreement signed in July. Many of the details are being addressed in a series of Federal Agreement FAQs, which are being updated regularly as an ongoing resource for our community as new information becomes available.

 

The coming months may bring evolving challenges to Brown and other colleges and universities, but also positive opportunities to demonstrate who we are as a community. At Brown’s core is a commitment to excellence, sustained by students who approach their studies with curiosity and determination to make an impact, and by faculty and staff who foster an environment where scholarship, mentorship and discovery thrive.

We maintain this excellence by recognizing that Brown is enriched by the diversity of ideas, perspectives and experiences that shape our campus life and define us as a leading university. We adhere to these values even, and especially, when we disagree.

 

As ever, we look forward to a year of respectful debate and constructive dialogue. We hope to see you at a celebratory Opening Convocation on Tuesday, Sept. 2. 

 

Sincerely,

Francis J. Doyle III, Provost

Dr. Patricia Poitevien, Vice President for Campus Life

Marie Williams, Vice President for Human Resources