The University Values and Voice Implementation working group will release a revised University Code of Conduct in the near future, Bernard Reginster — professor of natural theology and the associate director for the Center for Philosophy, Politics and Economics — announced in October’s faculty meeting.
The working group recommended a “full revision” to the code of conduct, which is characterized by “a substantial re-writing of the existing policy,” according to the four-page report by the working group that was sent to faculty ahead of the meeting.
The report, which was obtained by The Herald, stated the committee “deliberately tried to keep as much of the original language of the existing policy as possible” in the instance of a full revision.
Other revised policies include the Protest and Demonstration Policy, the Political Activity Policy and the Events Disruption Protocol, among others.
According to current Faculty Executive Committee chair Colleen Dalton — a professor and the director of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences — a faculty town hall meeting convened by President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 and the FEC will be held on Nov. 19.
When the meeting opened to questions, many faculty members had concerns about the scope of the revised code of conduct.
For Nadje Al-Ali, professor of anthropology and gender studies and of gender and sexuality studies, these changes raised concerns about the scope of the revisions and its political implications across campus.
Al-Ali was concerned about the revised code of conduct because to her, the University initially presented the values and voice statement as institutional in scope — not linked to individual units or faculty members.
In May 2025, faculty members voted on the statement of University Values and Voice, a set of four core institutional values of the University. The values include “the pursuit of knowledge and understanding,” “academic freedom and freedom of expression,” “a commitment to openness and diversity of ideas, perspectives and experiences” and “responsibility for a thriving academic community.”
The statement defines University “voice” as a “public statement or action that intentionally expresses a position on an issue,” stating that “use of University voice should concern only those issues that directly influence the University mission.”
A working group was set up to implement the statement across the University. According to Reginster, alongside five faculty members, the working group consists of two administrators, one undergraduate student, one graduate student and one medical student.
The University originally convened a committee charged with developing the University’s values after fraught divestment proceedings in 2024. The draft version of the statement sparked concerns from faculty when it was released in March 2025.
The working group was tasked with creating a proposal on how to apply principles of shared governance to the exercise of discretion in the permissible use of University voice.
According to Reginster, the working group reviewed 20 to 25 policies, two committee charges and a handful of University standing practices.
Reginster stated that the group has not yet determined how to apply principles of shared governance, and some work will require the input of faculty members, including voting on the revised code of conduct.
The report stated that the committee’s work was incomplete, such as that the group was unable to review all the policies they classified as needing alignment, and there are other statements that may need to be aligned but the group did not consider.
Some faculty members expressed concerns about the selection process of the faculty members in the working group.
Professor of Palestinian Studies Beshara Doumani stated that he felt that faculty deserved a full hearing on the issues, including on how members were selected. He asked why faculty were not consulted on the committee if shared governance was a central concern.
Seyla Fernandez is a senior staff writer covering faculty.
