4.9 ACADEMIC FREEDOM
Academic freedom in the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge through all media shall be maintained at the West Valley-Mission Community College District. Such freedom shall be recognized as a right of all members of the faculty, whether of tenure or non-tenure rank, of all administrative officers and of all students.
4.9.1 Academic Freedom and the Common Good
Academic institutions exist for the transmission
of knowledge, the pursuit of truth, the development of students,
and the general well being of society. Free inquiry and free expression
are indispensable to the attainment of these goals. Recognizing
this, the West Valley-Mission Community College District exists
to promote these purposes and the common good of the citizens
of California and mankind and not to promote the welfare of an
individual faculty, an individual department or college, or the
institution as a whole.
The freedom of faculty to inquire, to teach, to speak
and to publish contributes much more to the welfare of their fellow
citizens outside the College than to their own good or the good
of the campus. As a previous Chancellor of the California State
University system, Glenn Dumke, said, the academic community has
as one of its oldest functions to serve as Ïone of the consciences
of society.Ó The academic community Ïis a questioner,
a worrier, a critic, and idealist, seeking a better way toward
human aspiration and fulfillment.Ó Academic freedom and
tenure are essential for excellence in education and, moreover,
exist so that society may have the benefits of objective and independent
criticism, and honest answers to scientific, social and artistic
questions that might otherwise be withheld for fear of offending
an influential social group or transient social attitude.
On the most practical level, many of the technological
innovations of great material value to our society are the results
of scientific research that is most effectively carried out in
an atmosphere of complete academic freedom. On less tangible levels,
the social benefits of academic freedom are not so easily identified
and accepted, but they are no less real than the material benefits.
Free research, teaching, and discussion in political, social and
cultural affairs lead to political, social and cultural advances
just as clearly as freedom in the sciences leads to advances in
science and technology. Freedom in science, indeed, cannot long
endure the denial of political, social and cultural freedom.
Society is best served when the teacher and scholar feel free to criticize and advocate change in any theories and beliefs, however widely held, and in any existing social, political and economic institutions. It is not easy for faculty to dissent and to advocate unpopular ideas; it is almost always to their personal disadvantage to do so. But it is to the advantage of society to encourage them; only thus will society be aware of the full range of social, political and cultural choices available to it; and only thus can the democratic ideal be fulfilled.
4.9.2 Academic Freedom and Responsibility
It is recognized that faculty in the West Valley-Mission
Community College District must defend and protect academic freedom
Ò however unpleasant and costly to them personally. Earlier
citizens of the State of California wisely established institutions
of higher education in which the principles of academic freedom
were respected. It is the responsibility of all faculty to conserve
the integrity of these institutions at whatever sacrifice to their
personal tranquillity.
West Valley-Mission Community College District faculty
have these further and related responsibilities: to maintain themselves
as experts in their fields of competence by study, research and,
where appropriate, publication; to diffuse knowledge and, if possible,
to encourage creativity by their teaching; to defend their colleagues
and their institution against any threats to the exercise of their
responsibilities, whether from within or without the West Valley-Mission
Community College District.
From time to time in the history of higher education in California and elsewhere, advocates of particular social, moral, political or aesthetic positions attempt by violence, lawlessness or political and social pressures to interfere with academic freedom. At such times, West Valley-Mission Community College District faculty have a special responsibility to see that their own actions do not interfere with the freedom of others. They have further responsibility to insist that their institution does not yield to ephemeral passion or heavy community pressures to take hasty actions that may infringe on freedom of expression.
4.9.3 Professional Ethics
Faculty, guided by a deep conviction of the worth
and dignity of the advancement of knowledge, recognize the special
responsibilities placed upon them. Their primary responsibility
to their subject is to seek and to state the truth as they see
it. To this end, faculty devote their energies to developing and
improving their scholarly competence. They accept the obligation
to exercise critical self-discipline and judgment in using, extending,
and transmitting knowledge. They practice intellectual honesty.
Although faculty may follow subsidiary interests, these interests
must never seriously hamper or compromise their freedom of inquiry.
Faculty encourage the free pursuit of learning in their students. They hold before them the best scholarly and ethical standards of their discipline. Faculty demonstrate respect for students as individuals and adhere to their proper roles as intellectual guides and counselors. Faculty make every reasonable effort to foster honest academic conduct and to assure that their evaluations of students reflect each studentÌs true merit. They respect the confidential nature of the relationship between faculty and student. They avoid any exploitation, harassment, or discriminatory treatment of students. They acknowledge significant academic or scholarly assistance from them. They protect their academic freedom.
4.9.4 Obligations
As colleagues, faculty have obligations that derive
from common membership in the community of scholars. Faculty do
not discriminate against or harass colleagues. They respect and
defend the free inquiry of associates. In the exchange of criticism
and ideas, faculty show due respect for the opinions of others.
Faculty acknowledge academic debt and strive to be objective in
their professional judgment of colleagues. Faculty accept their
share of faculty responsibilities for the governance of their
institution.
As members of an academic institution, faculty seek
above all to be effective teachers and scholars. Although faculty
observe the stated regulations of the institution, provided the
regulations do not contravene academic freedom, they maintain
their right to criticize and seek revision. Faculty give due regard
to their paramount responsibilities within their institution in
determining the amount and character of work done outside it.
When considering the interruption or termination of their service,
faculty recognize the effect of the decision upon the program
of the institution and give due notice of their intentions.
As members of their community, faculty have the rights
and obligations of other citizens. Faculty measure the urgency
of these obligations in the light of their responsibilities to
their subject, to their students, to their professions, and to
their institutions. When they speak or act as private persons
they avoid creating the impression of speaking or acting for their
college or university. As citizens engaged in a profession that
depends upon freedom for its health and integrity, faculty have
a particular obligation to promote conditions of free inquiry
and to further public understanding of academic freedom.
Acknowledgement:
With the exception of the first paragraph defining
the scope of its coverage at West Valley-Mission Community College
District, this policy is an almost verbatim rewriting of the California
State University system's statement on Academic Freedom, with
the name, "West Valley-Mission Community College District"
inserted where needed. The CSU statement on Academic Freedom is,
in turn, substantially based on the 1940 AAUP Statement of Principles
of Academic Freedom and Tenure, while their statement on Professional
Ethics is an exact transcription of the 1966 AAUP Statement on
Professional Ethics