Dayton Faculty Object to No-Poster Policy For Doors

Faculty members housed in several main academic buildings at the University of Dayton were surprised Thursday to receive an e-mail from the institution telling them to take down "homemade" and "personal" signs on their office doors and in hallways, lest they be removed by maintenance personnel. Some faculty members said it was a violation of academic freedom, fearing they were being censored. "This includes information about campus events (e.g. a talk) and photos of historic figures (Nelson Mandela or Adrienne Rich), articles from newspapers, as well as anything that would note advocacy (and safe place) for any group/individual who needs it," one professor wrote in an e-mail to an academic listserv. "Is this happening at other universities you work at? How do I fight back?"

 

But Cilla Shindell, university spokeswoman, said the e-mail, sent at the request of campus maintenance, was merely a reminder of existing guidance that faculty members should install small bulletin boards instead of hanging things directly on doors or walls in those buildings, which were refurbished several years ago. Greg Scholtz, director of tenure, academic and governance for the American Association of University Professors, said the organization has no policy related to wall or door hangings, and a university policy against them would violate academic freedom only if it was a form of censorship. Still, said Carolyn Roecker Phelps, associate professor of psychology and president of Dayton's Academic Senate, "Personally, I do think it detracts from what we consider the life of the university. ...You can see it when you walk down the hallways. Where there are things posted on doors there are exchanges happening. Even without the person being [in his or her office], it adds a richness I think will be lost."