Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis and Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Elizabeth Sayrs shared the following message with the campus community earlier today (Feb. 16, 2018).

Dear OHIO Community,

As many of you are aware, our university is currently engaged in a thoughtful, deliberative discussion of free expression and its meaning to our institution. In recent years, we have seen the robust exercise of First Amendment rights on university campuses nationwide, including our own. The free exchange of ideas is essential to our shared mission of learning and discovery, and it is the foundation of an Ohio University education. At times, we also have seen expressive activities at other institutions become physically violent and dangerous, with those campuses struggling to maintain the safety of their communities.
 
In an effort to address these immediate safety concerns, we enacted two interim University policies soon after Dr. Nellis became President: Freedom of Expression and Use of Outdoor Space. It has been six months since the adoption of these interim policies and in accordance with Policy 01.001 both will expire on February 17, 2018. We have received a memo from the Executive Staff Policy Committee (ESPC), the body that requests interim policy extensions, recommending a six-month extension of both interim policies; today, we are announcing to accept the ESPC’s recommendations and grant the extensions.
 
The effective period of the two interim policies is now scheduled to expire on August 17, 2018. This extension is in place only until the new policies are adopted, which we intend to be well before this deadline. Our decision today does not affect our current pathway forward in developing new policies. This extension gives the Presidential Policy Advisory Group the time they need to continue their thorough review and collect input and develop recommendations. The Group has made significant progress thus far, reviewing all the public comments, and their next step is to host a public, open forum for the campus community to join together to discuss free expression issues. That forum is scheduled for March 21 from 5-7 p.m. in Baker University Center’s Ballroom A. We expect final recommendations from that Group for a permanent policy to follow shortly after. Once the Group completes its work, the recommended policy will then need to be reviewed by the ESPC, the five university senates and other stakeholders before it makes its way to the President’s desk. We will be acting with urgency to ensure this revised policy makes it through the process as efficiently and effectively as possible. 
 
As you know, shared governance is often not an expeditious process. But we need to take the time to get it right. We expressed this sentiment last week when we spoke with the Faculty Senate and Dr. Nellis stressed it once more with Student Senate. We have given today’s decision careful consideration and have listened to a variety of voices. We thank those who have helped us get to this point and will continue to keep you, the University community, informed as the process progresses.

Sincerely,
  
M. Duane Nellis
President  
 
Elizabeth Sayrs
Interim Executive Vice President and Provost