It shall be the policy of the Bay de Noc Community College Board of Trustees to recognize the constitutionally protected rights and responsibilities of academic freedom for students and teachers. Thus, no constitutionally prohibited limitations shall be placed on the study, investigation, presentation and interpretation of facts and ideas, except that the teacher must be acting within his/her competency area and present ideas and materials that are pertinent to the subject and level of the approved course objectives and learning outcomes.
While the teacher must be free to teach according to his/her conscience, so should the community he/she serves. The teacher must not infringe upon the academic freedom of students. Students should be free to learn in an environment which includes fair and uniform grading and which is free of inappropriate harassment that originates from or is tolerated by the teacher. In addition, teachers should refrain from promulgating as “truth” opinions and theories which have not been tested and are not accepted as true within a discipline.
Faculty members and students are protected by principles of academic freedom and shall be free from institutional censorship. Faculty and students are obligated to seek to be accurate, to demonstrate professional restraint, and to show respect for opinions of others.
Nothing in this Policy shall limit the right of the College to convey institutional messages. At times, it may be necessary for the College to disseminate institutional messages through its faculty.
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