South Dakota Board of Regents Policy Manual: 1:32 Commitment to Freedom of Expression

Relevant Excerpt

Freedom of expression includes the right to discuss and present scholarly opinions and conclusions on all matters both in and outside the classroom without Board or institutional discipline or restraint. This freedom includes the right to speak and write as a member of the institutional communities governed by the Board or as a private citizen on matters of public concern. The Board and its institutions are committed to these principles and provide all members of their community the latitude to explore ideas and to speak, write, listen, challenge, and learn. Except insofar as limitations on that freedom are necessary to the functioning of the institution, the Board fully respects and supports the freedom of all members of the institutions’ community to discuss any problem or issue that presents itself.

The ideas of different members of the institutions’ community will often and quite naturally conflict, and some individual’s ideas will even conflict with the institutions’ values and principles. But it is not the proper role of the Board or the institutions to attempt to shield individuals from viewpoints they find unwelcome, disagreeable, or even deeply offensive.