President's Message on Speech, Performance and Expression Working Group

03/29/2018

Dear Members of the SLU Community,

You may have read in various news publications over the last year and a half about the proliferation of stakeholder groups at colleges and universities gathering to discuss the topics of speech and expression on their campuses. I am proud that Saint Louis University began this challenging and rewarding process on our campus 18 months ago.

During this time, a dedicated and representative group of Jesuits, faculty, staff and students – the Working Group on Speech, Performance and Expression – has reviewed our current speakers’ policy, studied policies from other institutions, gathered feedback and developed an updated policy for the University.

They now seek your input before the final policy is completed and approved.

Attached to this email are copies of the Working Group’s Statement of Philosophy on Speech, Expression and Civility, which was shared with you last October; and the draft Policy on Civil Discourse, Speech and Expression, which was developed from that statement.

I invite you to read both documents and share your comments through this Google Form. The form will be open for comments through Wednesday, April 11.

The Working Group seeks your thoughts as a means of insuring that the final documents reflect the values of our community and the mission of our university. I encourage you to participate.

Sincerely,

Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D.
President