ATHENS- Following Ohio University’s announcement that a closed-door advisory committee will be responsible for reviewing and shaping the University’s free speech policies, the ACLU of Ohio released a statement criticizing the decision to conduct meetings in secret on a policy that will affect thousands of students, faculty, and staff. The statement can be attributed to ACLU of Ohio Executive Director J. Bennett Guess:
“We are extremely disappointed with the University’s decision to convene the advisory committee outside of the public eye. This type of counterproductive, back-room secrecy is the antithesis of what the administration should be doing to foster trust and respect with the community. The irony that University officials do not want to include the public in developing a policy on free speech should not be ignored. We urge the administration to make tomorrow’s scheduled meeting, and all future meetings, public and inclusive for all those who will be affected by the freedom of expression policies.”
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