Freedom of Expression

The purpose of this policy is to define the position on the rights and responsibilities of individuals engaging in free speech at Lakeland College. This includes the right to communicate opinions and ideas without interference, censorship, or sanction, including the right to engage in peaceful protest regarding the content of free speech of others.

This Policy applies to all members of the College Community, including invited guests and visitors, who use College space or resources or take part in off campus activities sponsored by the College.

This Policy does not apply to the responsibilities and obligations to and of the College as stated

in other college policies or in the collective agreement between Lakeland College and the

Lakeland College Faculty Association, regarding the College's commitment to academic freedom.

College Community: Includes, but is not limited to, employees, visitors, volunteers,
consultants and service and supply contractors and their employees while they are engaged in activities related to their contracts with Lakeland College.

Freedom of Expression: Means the free expression of ideas and perspectives through a variety of media, including text, performance, images, or the spoken word (free speech), either virtually or physically, by individuals or groups

1. The College is fully committed to promoting and advocating Freedom of Expression. At the same time, the College has a responsibility to ensure that all members of its community can reasonably expect to pursue their work and studies in a safe and civil environment.
2. The College is committed to Freedom of Expression and maintaining and upholding the following principles:
3. Free and open inquiry in all matters.
4. Individuals should have the broadest latitude to speak, write, listen, challenge ideas and learn.
5. Individuals should have the right to challenge, debate and criticize the views of others but not obstruct the right of others to freely express their views.
6. The offensiveness of ideas should not be a barrier to individuals having the freedom to express their ideas or points of view.
7. It is up to individuals not the institution to make judgments about the ideas put forward.
8. Activities must ensure compliance with Canadian and Alberta law.
9. Institutions need to restrict activities that seek to falsely defame any individual, constitute a genuine threat or harassment or unjustifiably invades substantial privacy or confidentiality interests.
10. The institution will reasonably regulate time, place and manner of expression to ensure events do not disrupt the ordinary activities of the institution.
11. It is not Lakeland College's role to shield individuals from such ideas. It is for individuals to judge the nature of ideas and opinions for themselves, and to act on those judgments not by seeking to suppress expression but by openly and vigorously contesting the ideas that they oppose. As a corollary, Freedom of Expression requires the college to not only promote a lively and fearless freedom of debate and deliberation, but also to protect the freedom when others attempt to restrict.
12. Lakeland College may reasonably regulate the time, place, and manner of expression to ensure that the expression does not disrupt the ordinary activities of the college