UNC chancellor: What I believe about freedom of expression on campus | Opinion

When 5,600 new students from all corners of our state and beyond gathered in the Smith Center for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s annual convocation to start the academic year, they had a lot on their minds. Many are living away from home and family for the first time and figuring out laundry and bus schedules. Some are questioning if they’ve chosen the right major. And nearly all will be wondering if these experiences are unique to them or just a rite of passage.

As the recently hired chancellor at Carolina, I am also a first-year student of sorts. I am seeing this campus and its people with the same awe and anticipation as our incoming students. I, too, am making new friends, learning a routine, and looking forward to football games and fall leaves on Polk Place. But thinking about that rite of passage led me to consider what advice I might want, or need, as a first-year student.

So, at convocation, I challenged my fellow Tar Heels to do three things: in their first month, get a meal or a cup of coffee with someone from a different city or state; in their first semester, attend a lecture or event outside of class; and in their first year, take a course that deepens their understanding of the world. This is how education happens — one experience at a time. While I was speaking directly to our new students, I think that’s exactly how all of us learn and grow — one experience, decision and connection at a time.

One of our great strengths as a nation, state and university is a vibrant culture of robust and spirited debate. Civic engagement and peaceful protest have a long and noble history at Carolina. We have spent over 200 years questioning and deliberating how this purpose is put into practice, and that is still true for the most searing political and cultural conflicts of today.

We don’t always get it right, but the purpose of a great public university, especially the nation’s first, is to provide a place where we can try repeatedly. Where ideas can be stated and challenged, weighed and evaluated. For that to work, everyone on campus must embrace the freedom to exchange these ideas without compromising the safety of our students and colleagues, and without disrupting the operations of the University and our ability to serve the public.

At Carolina, every member of our community contributes to that culture by engaging with each other, by sharing and testing their views and by navigating complicated conversations about the great issues of the day. We know that friction and tension are inevitable when people who have different experiences, ideas and viewpoints live and work together.

But — on this I want to be clear — no one person’s freedom of expression is more important than another person’s right to teach, learn, discover, work or speak free from harassment and discrimination. No one has the right to disrupt campus operations, threaten or intimidate others or vandalize public property. Policies must and will be consistently applied to everyone, regardless of content or viewpoint, so that Carolina remains a steadfast supporter of free expression while fulfilling our mission of teaching, research and service to the state and society.

We are a university and a nation in a time of great polarization about fundamental ideas of freedom, culture and democracy. There will be many opportunities this year to debate and demonstrate. We should welcome that dialogue as a sign of a healthy society, and a full education. But we should also expect, maybe even demand, that we engage with enthusiasm and respect for the principles of free expression that have been dear to this university for so many years.

This Carolina tradition has shaped generations of Tar Heels who are serving across our state and around the world. Our newest students are joining that legacy of civic engagement and as they take their first steps toward graduation, we hope Carolina sets them on a path for a lifetime of mutual respect and connection.