Committee on Open Expression
Standing Charge from the Council Bylaws
The Committee on Open Expression has as its major task: monitoring the communication processes to prevent conflicts that might emerge from failure of communication, recommending policies and procedures for improvement of all levels of communication, investigating alleged infringements of the right of open expression of any member or members of the University community, advising administrative officers where appropriate, and participating in evaluation and resolution of conflicts that may arise from incidents or disturbances on campus.
The Committee shall consist of seventeen members: eight faculty members, two representatives of the Penn Professional Staff Assembly, one representative of the Weekly-Paid Professional Staff Assembly, three undergraduate students, and three graduate/professional students. The faculty and representatives of the Penn Professional Staff Assembly are appointed to two-year terms, staggered so that in each year either two or three faculty members are appointed, and one representative of the Penn Professional Staff Assembly is appointed. The student members are appointed to one-year terms. The chair of the Committee shall be selected by the Committee on Committees from among the members.
The jurisdiction of and procedures of the Committee shall follow the Guidelines on Open Expression. At the beginning of every year, the Committee shall conduct a meeting in order to familiarize the members with the Guidelines and the responsibilities of Committee members in enforcing and implementing the Guidelines.