Statement by the Executive Committee, Berkeley Initiative for Freedom of Inquiry
As faculty dedicated to promoting free inquiry at UC Berkeley, we write to express our concern about the individualized incident data recently shared with the US Department of Education regarding investigations of students and faculty. It is especially troubling that some of these allegations reportedly involve classroom speech, at a time when the current presidential administration has repeatedly shown disregard for civil liberties. When anonymous complaints about classroom speech can make their way to the highest levels of government, before they are substantiated or the accused individuals are even informed of the nature of the accusations against them, there is a severe risk of chilling classroom discussions about matters of contemporary controversy.
In the present context of ongoing political attacks on free expression, it is critical that the university administration reassure faculty and students of its commitment to defending the integrity of our scholarly mission, which demands that difficult discussions can take place without participants fearing adverse consequences for the ideas they express. While we recognize that the university administration is required by statute to permit OCR access to records pertinent to compliance with nondiscrimination law, we join our colleagues in the Berkeley Divisional Council, the Berkeley Faculty Association, and the UC-AFT in urging our leaders to make every effort to mitigate the climate of fear currently surrounding such discussions, including by sharing with the Federal government only what information is legally required, by promptly and fully informing individuals about any personally identifying information shared, and by pursuing all legally available avenues to protect individuals from abusive investigations.