Message from the President: Working Group Follow-up
February 4, 2025
Dear faculty, staff, and students,
I am writing to provide an update on the actions we are taking in response to the report from the Working Group on Free Speech and Expression. As a reminder, I convened this working group last fall to review our policies, procedures, and guiding principles for supporting free speech and expressive activities on campus. While I asked for their review to include the events of May 1, my broader charge was to survey our policies and procedures regarding free speech and recommend ways that we can improve moving forward.
I am grateful to the working group: this was a challenging task, and they provided valuable suggestions for our consideration. It is important to note that the working group did not reach a consensus on all of their recommendations, and they do not speak for the university or for me. It is not my intent with this message to respond to each recommendation. Instead, I provide here an update on some of the overarching issues raised in their report, and summarize how the university is working to ensure that we support free speech and civic engagement, while maintaining campus safety and a culture of belonging where all can thrive.
Campus Event Permitting and University Policy Guidelines
I have asked Vice President Kenneth Holmes and our Student Life team to conduct a review of university permitting processes and event policies. We would clearly benefit from a single, clear process, regardless of the applicant’s relationship to the university or venue requested, and one that brings all of the relevant departments together through a streamlined approval process. This will allow for clear communication about event policies and increased visibility into events occurring on our campuses. Our goal is to have a new process in place by the start of the 2025-26 academic year.
Another immediate priority is a review of the university’s Emergency Operations Plan. That work is underway, and we will communicate with an update by the beginning of the Fall semester.
I am also working with my leadership team to develop guidelines for all proposed policy changes with the campus community and ensuring appropriate opportunities for feedback from faculty, staff and student leaders. This is important work to ensure effective and strong shared governance.
The UNH Police Department
Shortly after the report’s release, I met with the Durham Town Administrator and Chief of Police to discuss the recommendations related to the UNH police department. We have maintained a long and successful partnership with the town on issues of public safety and policing. We mutually agree that sustaining this cooperation is in the best interests of the town and the university.
In that vein, we have committed to review the Memorandum of Understanding that governs this partnership to ensure that the role, authority, and responsibilities of the university president over the day-to-day operations of the UNH Police Department are clearly articulated. Further, under the direction of UNH Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration, Aaron Howell, and interim-UNH Chief of Police Steve Lee, we are conducting a review of the relevant policies and trainings noted by the working group. While early indications indicate that the suggested training courses are comprehensively covered in programs required by the respective accrediting agencies, we will report out to the campus community any improvements moving forward.
Finally, the report calls on the Chief of the Durham Police to open a further investigation. The university president has direct authority over the operation of the UNH Police Department and has exercised that authority in practice over many decades. There is no evidence to suggest that the actions of the UNH Police on May 1 were illegal, and there is no basis for claims that our officers submitted false information to the county attorney or the courts. My experience with our Police Department since I arrived in July is that our officers and department leadership are committed to the safety and well-being of our students and this community, and they have my full confidence. Similarly, I do not believe further investigations related to the events surrounding May 1 will benefit the campus community; at this juncture we need to learn from the past as we seek to continually improve our campus culture and climate. Durham Town Administrator Todd Selig and Police Chief Rene Kelley are supportive of this approach.
Communications and Training Opportunities
The report suggested several actions related to communications and education related to the First Amendment. We will continue to post relevant policies and information on the university’s free speech website. I have asked Interim Provost Gruden to explore opportunities for the campus to engage in dialogue and educational opportunities, and we will share those moving forward.
At the University of New Hampshire, we believe that freedom of speech and free expression is fundamental to our identity as an educational institution. We strive to foster an inclusive community that promotes respect, intellectual growth, and the exploration of diverse perspectives. Over the last year, we have learned a great deal as a community about how to best uphold our values as an institution. I look forward to working with you to continue to make our campus stronger.
Final Report and President's Message
January 15, 2025
Dear UNH Community,
Last night, I received the final report from the Free Speech and Expression working group that I convened last semester. As you may recall, I had asked this group to review the university’s speech and expression policies and guidelines and examine how these policies informed the university’s actions during the Spring 2024 protests. The group was also charged with evaluating best practices and approaches for interacting with student and community demonstrators at similar institutions and making recommendations for improvement here.
I want to thank the 16-member working group, led by Associate Vice President Nadine Petty, for engaging in this important effort and for their thoughtful and diligent work over the last few months. The working group produced an important perspective on the spring protests and the university’s response, as well as campus policies and procedures more broadly.
In the coming days, I will work with my executive team and leaders of key campus units, including the Division of Student Life and the UNH Police Department, to evaluate the recommendations and propose specific actions for strengthening our commitment to free speech, expression, and campus safety. I will continue to keep our community involved and informed; updates will be provided on the Free Speech at UNH website and during my State of the University address on February 11th.
UNH is an inclusive community that promotes intellectual growth through the exploration of diverse perspectives. Freedom of speech and expression is fundamental to that work, as well as our mission as a public university. I look forward to engaging with all of you to continue to foster a campus culture aligned with those values.
Read the Working Group's Final Report
Free Speech and Expression Working Group
Charge and Membership
Values Statement
UNH is a community that values respect, inclusion, and belonging. The safety of our students and the protection of their right to access educational opportunities are paramount concerns for the university. As an academic institution, we believe in fostering an environment where we can engage with diverse viewpoints, even those some of us may find disagreeable or offensive. Fostering such an environment is essential to our educational mission and the preservation of a free society in which free speech and expression are foundational. We acknowledge tension may exist among values and perspectives, but their collective importance remains.
Goals
In keeping with these values, we must maintain and enforce policies and practices that balance our responsibilities and commitments to our community, the law, and society. The goals of this working group are to explore and review expressive responsibilities, actions, protocols, policies, and procedures, including, but not limited to, the May 1, 2024 protest; evaluate whether UNH campus protocols, policies, and procedures are in alignment with stated values and national best practices; and provide recommendations to President Chilton for best practices utilizing an equity lens.
Charge
By December 15, 2024:
- Review UNH’s Student Rights, Rules, and Responsibilities, and any other applicable policies and guidelines, and how these policies informed university actions during the Spring 2024 semester, and specifically on May 1, 2024.
- Evaluate public higher education best practices and approaches for interacting with student and community demonstrators. Consider communications, de-escalation processes, intervention methods, and decision-making authority.
- Submit a report summarizing the review and evaluation and making recommendations to:
- Strengthen UNH’s policies, procedures and practices related to free expression and demonstrations on campus with the dual priority of ensuring campus and community safety and promoting First Amendment rights.
- Improve communication about these policies, procedures and practices with the campus community and beyond, including how the community receives timely information in the event of a large demonstration or major police activity.
Membership
- Nadine Petty, Chair, Chief Diversity Officer
- Michael Blackman, Dean of Students
- John DeJoie, Senior Lecturer, Faculty Senate Student Affairs Committee
- Luciana Echazu, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education
- Jessica Ernakovich, Associate Professor
- Amanda Harvey, Administrative Coordinator
- Christopher Josefowitch, Undergraduate Student Senate Judicial Affairs Council
- Ashby Kinch, Dean of the Graduate School
- Rita Kondrath, Online Professional Faculty
- Julien Kouame, Extension Specialist
- Alexis Piñero-Benson, Director of Community Standards
- Shari Robinson, Assistant Vice Provost for Student Life
- Albert (Buzz) Scherr, Professor
- Jeannie Sowers, Professor
- Mike Stocz, Senior Lecturer, Faculty Senate Campus Planning Committee
- Ryan Tuttle, Graduate Student Senate Officer
