Blumstein asks faculty to "reach out" to those offended by ad

She reaffirms University's defining values of free speech and expression, urges faculty to lead the way in "discourse and dialogue"

At the faculty meeting held March 20, Interim President Sheila Blumstein reaffirmed the University’s defining values of free speech and expression. She also called upon the Brown community to support those who were offended by an advertisement published March 13 in the Brown Daily Herald.

The paid ad, written by David Horowitz and titled "Ten Reasons Why Reparations for Slavery is a Bad Idea — and Racist Too," was deeply troubling to a portion of the Brown community, she said. She asked the faculty to "reach out" to those who were hurt by the ad, and "to show them … in the context of discourse and dialogue" ways to effectively challenge the ideas contained in the ad.

Blumstein also urged the faculty to attend the March 21 faculty forum sponsored by Dean of the College Paul Armstrong. The panel was expected to include faculty members Tracy Breton, Jim Campbell, Cynthia Garcia Coll, Lewis Gordon, David Jacobson, Jim Morone and John Tomasi. The topic of the session was "Understanding the Issues: Freedom of the Press, Community Values, Race, and Civil Discourse."

"I implore you to come," Blumstein said. "This is a community issue."

After the meeting, she issued the following statement:

"Today, Brown University - students, faculty and the administration - is faced with the opportunity to address two important issues: freedom of the press and community values. While these issues appear to be dichotomous, in fact they are not. Each of them speaks to core principles that we hold as an institution of higher learning.

"Regarding freedom of speech and expression I believe that the University response has been clear and unambiguous. We have reaffirmed the defining value of freedom of speech and expression. We have underscored our commitment to the right of individuals to hold and express views, as offensive as they may be to others. And we have rejected any attempts to silence or intimidate others as the vehicle for responding to such views.

"A week ago, an advertisement was published in the Brown Daily Herald that was offensive to many students, faculty members, staff and administrators. Even as we uphold our principles, we cannot deny the impact the publication of this advertisement has had on the Brown community as a whole. It was written to be inflammatory. In addition, it was deliberately and deeply hurtful.

"As a community, we have an obligation to look out for each other and to treat each other with respect. In this particular instance, supporting those members of the community who feel most hurt must also be one of our defining values.

"How, then, should we move forward? This is a university - we are the ideal place to hold a forum for discussion and dialogue about the ideas and claims made in the ad. The power of words is strong - and they can provide yet another platform for showing our support - by challenging alternative points of view through reason and argumentation, by sifting through ideas and reaching a conclusion about the appropriate way to present differing perspectives."

During the faculty meeting, Philip J. Bray, professor emeritus of physics, commended the University for its strong statement issued after most copies of the March 16 edition of the Brown Daily Herald were removed from the distribution stands by students offended by the ad.

Lewis Gordon, professor of African-American studies, however, took the University to task. The fact that black students are taking the heat for a multiracial action — the papers’ removal — is "grotesquely hypocritical," he said. It is indicative of racism on campus and demonstrates "a greater concern for paper than for the impact something has on human beings," he said in comments offered after the meeting.

(Additional comments from faculty)

Blumstein also described the March 16 gathering of more than 120 students in University Hall during her office hours. On Feb. 24, the group — called the Corporation Weekend Coalition —  presented to the Corporation a list of recommendations regarding minimum wage issues, creation of an ethnic studies department, and issues of student employment. The group asked the Corporation and the University to take action on the items by March 15.

Blumstein told the faculty members that she spoke with five representatives of the coalition during the March 16 gathering in University Hall, but declined to give them a detailed explanation of the University’s action on these issues and "we left where we started."

Later in the meeting, Mary Fennell, dean of the faculty, presented an overview of proposed changes in the policy that addresses unpaid faculty leave.

Abuse of unpaid leave can make it difficult for a department to plan its curriculum, is unfair to students and can impact morale, Fennell said. In addition, opportunities for unpaid leave are not equal — some disciplines offer more possibilities than others, she said.

Proposed changes include giving department chairs more control over the patterns of unpaid leave and requiring a period in residence between unpaid leaves, Fennell said.

A variety of groups have reviewed the draft policy and have offered their suggestions. Fennell said the draft would be posted on her office's Web site soon. She encouraged faculty members to read it and offer their suggestions. After the consultation process ends, final revisions will be incorporated and the policy would become a part of the Handbook of Academic Administration, she said.