September 13, 2004

Memorandum
To: Richard Brodhead, President of Duke University
Peter Nicholas, Chair of the Board of Trustees
Allison Haltom, University Secretary
John Burness, Senior Vice-President For Public Affairs and Government Relations
From: Heather Dean, President of the Graduate and Professional Student Council
Date: September 13, 2004
Subject: Statement on Free Speech at Duke University

Duke University has a policy of supporting free speech, even in instances in which the discussion may be controversial. The Graduate and Professional Student Council (GPSC) supports this policy and applauds the University for its commitment to academic freedom of its students and faculty. We agree that students benefit when subjects that they may find disagreeable are discussed rather than suppressed, especially when the conversations extend to the entire community and multiple points of view have an opportunity to be expressed.

GPSC is reassured by the fact that Duke's Presidents, Boards of Trustees, and other University leaders have continuously provided a forum for the free and open exchange of controversial ideas for over a century now, as evidenced by The Bassett Affair in 1903 and the recent decision to allow the national student-sponsored conference of the Palestine Solidarity Movement to be held at Duke.

GPSC encourages the discussion of views that can be passionately debated without discouragement by University administrators, the media, or other students. We also advocate Duke's dedication to protecting the right of individuals to protest in a peaceful manner but encourage such protests to allow for meaningful discussion to occur. GPSC plans to support the University's commitment to its policy of promoting discussion and learning, even when that policy itself may seem controversial.