March 21, 2022
The Department of Communication & Performance upholds the position of our discipline--as represented by the National Communication Association, the preeminent scholarly society devoted to the study and teaching of Communication--on academic freedom, paticularly as it pertains to recent legislation constricting that freedom. See NCA's Statement Affirming the Importance of Academic Freedom within the Classroom,issued March 2022. We assert, with NCA, that "prohibiting discussion of 'uncomfortable' topics does not alter the influence of systemic racism in the United States. Such prohibitions only deprive students of opportunities for robust discussions of these critical issues."