Principles guiding discourse on complex issues facing our world
Dalhousie focuses on its core academic mission and strengths regarding teaching, learning, and scholarship (production/translation of knowledge) in our approach to complex issues facing our world.
When these issues drive disagreement or conflict within our community, we will focus on supporting impacted individuals while staying true to our scholarly mission.
To that end, Dalhousie has established principles to guide our approach. They emphasize strategies for supporting our diverse community, fostering constructive engagement, and maintaining a safe and inclusive environment.
Past learnings will help us effectively navigate the complex issues we are certain will continue to arise at a globally-engaged university, while contributing to impactful learning and scholarly goals that help solve big problems. We know that if we want to live in a world where people can listen to each other, learn, and thrive, we need to be able to talk about hard things together in alignment with the principles we strive to live up to as an academic community and institution.
Dalhousie’s principles
- Dalhousie is a place of learning – we have a responsibility to foster effective learning conditions that enable critical discourse.
- Dalhousie is a workplace – we have a responsibility to provide a safe workplace where people can effectively engage in work.
- Expression and academic freedom are core values of universities, and it is expected that some people or organizations will find some expression uncomfortable, upsetting, unfair, or inaccurate.
- The university is a diverse community and needs to remain a place where expression and academic freedom can be exercised across differences.
- Members of our community have experiences that are hard and upsetting; they are not required to always express themselves in ways that make others comfortable.
- There are limits to expression, including hate speech, violence, discrimination, intimidation and harassment, and destruction of property, outlined in Dalhousie’s university policies.
- All members of our community should have opportunities to be heard and to have their concerns addressed; the way different members of the community choose to voice their concerns should not influence principled consideration and responses to them by the university.
- Decisions related to university strategy, policy, and practice should be made using consistent principles under which decisions could be taken in comparable circumstances.
- Physical safety and freedom from harassment, discrimination, and intimidation are non-negotiable.
