This is great news. If only we saw this happening at schools across the country.
The Detroit News reports:
‘Cancel culture is dead’: University of Michigan board approves new free speech statementThe University of Michigan Board of Regents on Tuesday unanimously approved a new statement on free speech during a special meeting, with President Santa Ono calling it a historic vote and saying it was more important than ever to “come together.””No matter the problems in the day, it is vital that we remain fully committed to freedom of speech and diversity of thought,” Ono said before the board voted. “At this time of great division, it is more important than ever we come together in a shared commitment to pluralism, mutual respect and to freedom of speech and diversity of thought.”Approval of the statement followed a public feedback and comment period on the updated principles that were drafted by university faculty and officials, who said the principles reemphasize the university’s commitment to freedom of expression and diversity of thought. The last time the university approved such a statement was 1988.UM Regent Mark Bernstein called the principles “the North Star of the university that sits next to our mission statement.””These principles declare unequivocally that cancel culture is dead at the University of Michigan,” said UM Regent Mark Bernstein, a Democrat who is a lawyer. “We are a public university with a long and proud history of robust engagement on issues of great societal consequence, indeed, actively confronting the most controversial, a hallmark of our culture that we fully embrace.”Regent Ron Weiser, a Republican, highlighted three sentences in the statement, including that the university stimulates and supports diverse ideas and viewpoints, which he said is important especially to him as a conservative.”It’s really important that we realize that the university is about talking to each other and understanding there’s going to be differences of opinion and viewpoints on many, many subjects,” Weiser said. “But stopping talking and not having those discussions is what leads to conflict.”
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