Ohio Administrative Code
Title 3361:50 - University of Cincinnati
Chapter 3361:50-7 - Academic Freedom
Section 3361:50-7-01 - Academic freedom: board of trustees policy statement

(A) All members of the university community shall honor the freedom of each individual within that community in matters of speech, learning, inquiry, hearing, and peaceful assembly; and no one may interfere with the rights of others to pursue teaching, study, class attendance, research, learning, administrative duties, and the like.

(B) Appropriate representatives of the university administration shall continue to confer with responsible persons on campus who wish to present proposals to modify university policies and procedures. Such conferences with individuals, or with groups of reasonable size, shall be by appointment only and held during customary business hours. No consideration shall be given to proposals couched in the form of demands or threats, or that use abusive or vulgar language, or that include ultimata regarding time of response.

There shall be no undue delay in replying to proposals properly presented.

(C) All demonstrations must be in compliance with the use of facilities policy manual. Disruptive demonstrations or other actions that interrupt the normal functioning of the university or violate any rule of the board or contravene university policy shall subject the violators to disciplinary procedures, and to such internal or external measures as may be necessary to restore order. No one may forcibly or physically or by noise or threat disrupt the regular business of the university. No one may, by person, objects, or words block or impede free access to or egress from any university facilities. Sit-ins, stand-ins, and any other similar or related forms of occupation of offices, halls, classrooms, lobbies, or other parts of university structures are prohibited. Persons committing crimes will be prosecuted.

(D) Instructional personnel shall enjoy academic freedom, but, this does not mean license free from all responsibility; nor the use of class time to present propaganda on controversial issues; nor the use of class time to discuss matters that are not germane to the specialty which they have been appointed to teach; nor in class seek to elicit and/or attack the views of any student on a subject not germane to the officially announced subject matter of the course.

Replaces: 3361:50-7-01