In his State of the University Address last month, Chancellor James Moeser stressed that the University should be a cornerstone of free expression and moral development. "We must be willing to take a stand on critical issues of the day," he said. "We must be tolerant of the opinions expressed by others and ever supportive of their right to express them."
But the extent of the University's commitment to free speech has become a point of discussion as people debate the proper response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Two recent teach-ins aimed at promoting a peaceful response to the attacks sparked criticism from some people who support military action.
But the existence of clashing viewpoints is nothing new at UNC. The University has a history of allowing its community to question the prevailing moral values of the time.
A speaker ban law, passed in 1963 by the N.C. General Assembly, prompted a massive campuswide protest. The law prohibited members of the Communist Party and those who might have been suspected of having communist ties from speaking at state-supported institutions.
In 1965, a Speaker Ban Commission, composed of then-N.C. Gov. Dan Moore as well as several state senators and Southern university chancellors, was formed to debate the ban. Former UNC-system President Bill Friday addressed the commission to staunchly oppose the ban.
"The Communist Speaker Ban presents both a threat to the University's freedom and integrity and endangers its accreditation," Friday said to the commission in 1965. Friday said he firmly believed the real issue concerning the ban was not Communism but the right to freedom of speech on campus.
After months of debate, the commission called for a change in the ban law in November 1965, amending it to give the power and responsibility of its enforcement to University trustees.
In 1970, then-Student Body President Tom Bello organized the largest student protest in UNC history. An estimated 9,000 students marched on campus protesting the morality of U.S. action against Cambodia and the killing of four Kent State University protesters.
The protest caused the students and faculty to strike, and the University was shut down for several weeks.
Jay Anthony, associate journalism professor and a 1971 UNC graduate, remembers the 1970 school shutdown. "Despite the huge protests, the University did not try to stifle any dissent and encouraged open forums of discussion," Anthony said.
As emotions have run high in recent weeks, the question of the University's role in promoting or restricting free speech has once again been raised.
Many campus figures still support the concept of the University as a place where students can freely discuss and thoughtfully evaluate moral issues.
Philosophy Professor Sean McKeever said UNC should promote the exchange of ideas. "The role of the University is not only providing a forum for discussion but providing the tools to think more deeply to decide what's right and wrong and what morality requires," he said.
But the University's protection of differing opinions has left members of the campus community struggling to find common ground in recent weeks.
Two recent teach-ins -- each attended by hundreds of students -- featured panelists who questioned the legitimacy of a military response to the terrorist attacks, prompting campus criticism and national media attention. Despite the criticism, some UNC faculty believe events like the teach-in, which promote diverse opinions, are critical to the learning process.
Sue Estroff, chairwoman of the Faculty Council, said divergent viewpoints have an important place on campus. "What I want for students is that they have the tools to evaluate situations and that they don't fall prey to explanations that are too easy," she said.
And Estroff said this commitment to open debate at UNC is important in affecting students' growth and morality. "Moral development is not something that happens in a vacuum. It happens in the course of social development," she said. "At its best the University opens you up to new experiences."
Journalism Professor Chuck Stone, who specializes in censorship and free speech issues, says dissent is a major factor in any university's encouragement of free speech and moral development. "Dissent is a cleansing thing that forces us to think more precisely," Stone said. "It is important to facilitate freedom of expression.
"That is the ultimate morality."
The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.
