Newsgroups: alt.comp.acad-freedom.talk
From: kadie@eff.org (Carl M. Kadie)
Subject:  [PSU] Rights Of Others Based On The Nature Of The Educational Process
Message-ID: <1993Mar22.190030.10428@eff.org>
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 1993 19:00:30 GMT

[This is part of the Pennsylvania State University Code. It is from
the document '//psuinfo/Policies-Rules for Students/Policies and
Rules/Rights Of Others ... The Educational Process'. It is available
via gopher from info.psu.edu.

Some points of interest:

Forbids institutional censorship.

Says a member of the University community has a "right to identify
oneself as a member of the University community and a concurrent
obligation not to speak or act on behalf of the institution without
authorization".

Says a member of the University community has a right "to privacy in
offices, laboratories, and residence hall rooms, and in the keeping of
personal papers, confidential records, and effects, subject only to
the general law and University regulations". (I couldn't find
any other university regulations about searches.)


- Carl]


POL04: RIGHTS OF OTHERS BASED ON THE NATURE OF THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS
 
     All members of the University community have other
     responsibilities and rights based upon the nature of the
     educational process and the requirements of the search for truth
     and its free presentation.  These rights and responsibilities
     include:
 
     --obligation to respect the freedom to teach, to learn, and to
     conduct research and publish findings in the spirit of free
     inquiry.  Institutional censorship and individual or group
     intolerance of the opinions of others are inconsistent with this
     freedom;
 
     --obligation not to interfere with the freedom of members of the
     University to pursue normal academic and administrative
     activities;
 
     --obligation not to infringe upon the right of all members of the
     campus to privacy in offices, laboratories, and residence hall
     rooms, and in the keeping of personal papers, confidential
     records, and effects, subject only to the general law and
     University regulations;
 
     --obligation not to interfere with the right to hear and study
     unpopular and controversial views on intellectual and public
     issues;
 
     --right to identify oneself as a member of the University
     community and a concurrent obligation not to speak or act on
     behalf of the institution without authorization;
 
     --right to recourse if another member of the University community
     is negligent or irresponsible in performance of his/her
     responsibilities, or if another member of the campus represents
     the work of others as his/her own;
 
     --right to be heard and considered at appropriate levels of the
     decision-making process about basic policy manners of direct
     concern.
 
     Members of the University community who have a continuing
     association with the institution have an especially strong
     obligation to maintain an environment conducive to respect for
     the rights of others and fulfillment of academic
     responsibilities.
 
     Trustees have a particular responsibility to protect the
     integrity of the academic process from external and internal
     attacks and to prevent the political or financial exploitation of
     the University by any individual or group.