(The Center Square) –Washington State University says it will not take sides in political or social issues in accordance with its new “Institutional Neutrality” policy.
“The university will maintain a practice of neutrality and will not take a position on contentious political or social issues, except in rare circumstances,” WSU’s Office of the President announced in a release.
WSU said it is “committed to fostering an environment where diverse ideas and perspectives can flourish.”
The release outlined three “core principles” that guided the institutional neutrality policy. The principles are “promoting open debate,” “ensuring fair and respectful discourse,” and “avoiding the stifling of discussion.”
“Washington State University was founded as a place where competing ideas can and should be debated vigorously,” the release stated. “We believe that universities serve as a crucible for intellectual exchange, where differing viewpoints can be explored and challenged.
“By not aligning the institution with specific political or social positions, we create a space where all voices can be heard and considered without fear of institutional bias,” the school said. “Our role as a university is to foster discussion, not stifle it.”
The university acknowledged that speech that is threatening, discriminatory, or disruptive can cross the line, but not all offensive speech “is actionable.” It also established a place where students and others can “report hate speech or other comments in violation of WSU standards.”
“By adopting institutional neutrality, Washington State University is making clear that ideas should be heard, debated, and challenged, without fear of reprisal for holding a minority position,” Ryan Ansloan of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) told The Center Square.
Ansloan is the senior program officer of policy reform FIRE, is a “defender of fundamental rights on college campuses,” as well as engaged in “free speech advocacy and legal defense” off-campus, according to the foundation’s website.
“Making the choice to refrain from issuing institutional statements on controversial social and political issues is important because it signals to the campus community that the university is the host for civil discourse, not the speaker itself,” Ansloan said to The Center Square.
“When universities get in the business of making statements and choosing sides, they risk putting a thumb on the scale and foreclosing opportunities for discussions. That is not what the function of a university should be,” Ansloan said.
“While WSU deserves praise for adopting a policy of institutional neutrality, it is critical that it continually lives up to its promise, respect free expression for all members of the campus community, and promote open debate,” Ansloan said. “This is an ongoing commitment to free expression and members of the WSU community should ensure the university carries it out.”
Institutional neutrality has become a trend on campuses recently. Other schools instituting similar policies such as WSU’s are UPenn, Harvard, Vanderbilt, and Stanford to name a few.
The Center Square reached out to Washington State University’s office of the president chief of staff Ginger Druffel and director of news and media relations David Wasson twice each by email for comment. Neither responded.
The Center Square also reached out to WSU’s public relations coordinator Kylie Condosta, who forwarded TCS’s questions to vice president of communications and marketing Phil Weiler and directed TCS to a Board of Regents meeting that discussed the subject of institutional neutrality. Weiler did not respond by the time of publishing.
