Dear Colleagues,
We want to share that the Board of Regents has adopted a new policy, Regents Policy 4408, regarding public and discretionary statements by academic units. This new policy builds on and supersedes the guidance from the Academic Council issued in 2022 regarding department political statements, which was addressed in a message sent to UC San Diego deans, assistant deans, department chairs and provosts on October 28, 2023.
The new Regents Policy 4408 defines the requirements for public and discretionary statements made by academic units. The policy requires academic units wishing to make discretionary statements to develop procedures governing their dissemination, including clear disclaimers; moreover, such messages may not be posted on the departmental home page. It also reaffirms the obligation of academic units to avoid making public statements that are not in compliance with university and campus policies including anti-violence, anti-discrimination, and anti-harassment, as well as the prohibition against political activity that uses university resources.
Along these same lines, we want to ensure you have an opportunity to review President Drake’s memo to the UC Community regarding updates on UC campus climate efforts, issued on August 19, 2024. Thank you for your commitment to preparing all of UC San Diego’s students as engaged citizens and future leaders through our teaching and research missions.
