On Thursday, Sept. 11, Dean of Students Lacy Karpilo presented the most recent draft of the College’s Freedom of Expression policy to the student body in an open forum hosted in conjunction with the Colorado College Student Government Association.
A team of professionals, including administrators, professors, civil rights and Title IX experts, began developing this draft in 2022. The committee will produce another round of revisions based on community feedback.
In addition to getting students’ comments and concerns on the draft during the CCSGA meeting, the Freedom of Expression Policy group also brought the draft to faculty and staff for input earlier in September.
According to Karpilo, the purpose of these meetings was “gathering information from our community about what they are looking for in this policy,” as well as receiving feedback from those affected by a policy change.
In the development of the new policy, Karpilo and the team of professionals working on it added a whole section about the school’s principles of freedom of information, including measured restrictions, responsible expression and balancing rights. According to Karpilo, these principles are crucial to navigate the tension between unlimited expression and harm.
The new policy will also outline in greater detail the ways in which students are allowed to protest on campus. CC is a 501(c)(3) organization, meaning university supplies cannot be used for political discourse, according to Karpilo. Because of this, the policy states that campus resources, like Wi-Fi and printers, are not available to students for political expression.
When asked about last year’s silencing of pro-Palestine demonstrations over homecoming weekend, Karpilo stated that when Director of Campus Safety Cathy Buckley unplugged the speaker, it was not a violation of the current freedom of expression policy, nor would it be a violation of the updated policy.
On Sept. 30, the administration will host a “Know Your Rights” training for students to learn about and ask questions regarding the freedom of expression policy.
The final version is expected to be sent out sometime this fall, following a final review by the Freedom of Expression Policy group.
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