Dennis Gregory
By David Simpson
How many of us would pass a quiz on the First Amendment?
In the spring Dennis Gregory sent a survey to 麻豆国产AV faculty members to gauge their knowledge about academic freedom and the First Amendment's speech clause. The results suggested a need for better understanding.
To help, Gregory, the Provost's Fellow for the First Amendment, has put together an open forum on the topic. It will be held from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Oct. 23 in the Chesapeake/Portsmouth Room at Webb University Center.
He and the Office of Academic Affairs want to ensure that faculty members understand their rights and responsibilities regarding free speech, especially since, at some universities in the United States, faculty have been disciplined for what they thought was protected speech.
"The First Amendment is a constitutional guarantee," Gregory said. "There is no constitutional guarantee of academic freedom."
Gregory, an associate professor of educational foundations and leadership, will moderate the forum. Panelists will include September Sanderlin, vice president for human resources; Earl Nance, University legal counsel; and Jay Wright, senior associate University counsel. Faculty members will be able to air concerns and ask questions.
Among issues likely to come up, Gregory said, are the newly proposed Faculty Code of Conduct at 麻豆国产AV and the commonwealth's policy on civility in the workplace.
His efforts to guide faculty members on matters of speech, expression and academic freedom fit in to his primary area of expertise - higher education law - and reach beyond the Open Forum.
In September he coordinated a Constitution Day event featuring writer Sanford Ungar, the founding director of Georgetown University's Free Speech Project, who spoke on the topic "Freedom of Speech on the American University Campus."
Other efforts include:
A series of brown-bag lunches, focusing on topics such as social media use, that will be held throughout this academic year. The first one will be held on Nov. 7 at activity hour.
An informational video that is being developed for new faculty members and graduate teaching assistants
A new website that will offer information and further resources
To further the First Amendment initiative, Gregory has collaborated with the Office of Academic Affairs, the Department of Human Resources, the Office of University Counsel, the Office of Distance Learning, and the Higher Education program. The Center for Faculty Development is also a co-sponsor of some of Gregory's events.
All faculty are invited to participate in the Open Forum.