UT to Host Panel Discussion on Free Speech and Academic Freedom April 6

On Friday, April 6, The University of Tampa will host a panel discussion on free speech and academic freedom. The presentation begins at 2 p.m. in the Sykes Chapel and Center for Faith and Values, and is free and open to all UT students, faculty and staff, and the public.

Panelists include Amy M. Hass, general counsel for the University of Florida, and Howard Simon, executive director of ACLU of Florida, who will speak on controversial speakers on campus; M. Elizabeth Thorpe, assistant professor at The College at Brockport, who will discuss extramural speech; and Donald Downs, professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who will touch on freedom in the classroom.

The event is organized by the UT Workgroup on Free Speech and Academic Freedom, and is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and Faculty Senate. The presentation is part of a series of forums and events meant to cover the principles of free speech and academic freedom for the benefit of the entire University community.

For more information, contact Marcus Arvan, UT assistant professor of philosophy and chair of the UT Workgroup on Free Speech and Academic Freedom, at marvan@ut.edu.