Washington State University joins the trend of remaining neutral politically and socially.
Washington State University says it will not take sides in political or social matters under 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 said in a statement.
According to WSU, it is “committed to fostering an environment where diverse ideas and perspectives can flourish.”
The publication identified three “core principles” that informed the institutional neutrality policy. The values are: “promoting open debate,” “ensuring fair and respectful discourse,” as well as “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 institution accepted that threatening, discriminatory, or disruptive comments sometimes exceed the line; nevertheless, not all offensive speech “is actionable.” It has created a site where students and others may “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.
According to the foundation’s website, Ansloan is the senior program officer of policy reform FIRE, a “defender of fundamental rights on college campuses,” and engages in “free speech advocacy and legal defense” off-campus.
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“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 told The Center Square during the interview.
“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,” says Ansloan. “This is an ongoing commitment to free expression and members of the WSU community should ensure the university carries it out.”
Institutional neutrality has recently gained popularity on campuses. Other colleges implementing similar regulations to WSU’s include UPenn, Harvard, Vanderbilt, and Stanford, to mention a few.