Your voice, your rights: Expression on campus
Your guide for expressive activity at UNT Health
Free speech and peaceful assembly are important rights held by all people who live in the United States. We uphold and protect those rights here at UNT Health Fort Worth. Students are encouraged to engage in expressive activity in any number of ways. Such activities promote debate and the sharing of ideas, which are the foundation of educational institutions.
[POLICY ACCORDION PLACED HERE]
But we want even more for our students.
We also want our students to be able to engage in constructive conversations, civil dialogue, and to learn how to disagree amicably. Being an activist for any cause requires
- leadership,
- communication skills, and
- critical thinking
As you consider being involved in expressive activity, we want to help you develop those skills so that you can grow through this experience in a way that benefits you for the rest of your life!
Resources below
Living the values
Show Your Fire
We want our students to be comfortable expressing themselves authentically, talking about their passions, and celebrating all of the things that make them unique. Getting involved in expressive activity is a great way to Show Your Fire! Be prepared. Be present. Actively participate. Promote enthusiastic engagement. Plan your activities well, develop your leadership and organizational skills, and cultivate a positive environment with opportunities for fun and recognition!
Be Curious
Our UNT Health value Be Curious drives us to approach complicated issues with an open mind, to listen to opinions that are different from our own, and to question our own assumptions. Think about taking your activities beyond expression and try incorporating opportunities for learning and discovery as well!
Be Curious has implications on an interpersonal level too. Going into a conversation with the goal of understanding where the other person is coming from is the only way to find common ground, influence each other, and, most importantly, to grow from the conversation. (See LinkedIn Learning course)
Better Together
Peaceful assembly regarding deeply held convictions can be a meaningful way for us to come together with likeminded individuals. In addition, we benefit from having the wisdom to know that we are Better Together as a community even when we don’t agree on everything. The value Better Together calls on us to respect diversity of people, beliefs, thoughts, and ideas. Ideological differences don’t have to define us or drive us apart, and people who disagree don’t need to become “enemies.” Developing an awareness and understanding for people’s different life experiences can help us embrace opportunities to remove mental barriers.
We Care
When we find ways to share our expertise and resources, such as through expressive activities, we are demonstrating the value We Care. We also show that We Care by championing a people-first approach and cultivating authentic connections that have a meaningful impact, rather than unnecessarily sewing division along ideological boundaries. Showing respect for people who see things differently than us is the first step toward having constructive conversations and turning would-be “opponents” into meaningful connections. It is a skill that will benefit you throughout your career as well!
Courageous Integrity
Two necessities for those taking ideological positions are intellectual humility and critical thinking. It takes Courageous Integrity to admit when you or the leaders you support made a mistake. It also takes Courageous Integrity to honestly examine the evidence and check your own assumptions. Intellectual humility allows us to approach a question with the awareness that we could be wrong. It opens us to feedback by reminding us that we do not know everything there is to know about a topic. It also frees us up to admit that an issue may be more complex than common arguments make it seem.
Wellbeing and Political burnout
We also want to prepare you to deal with the impact from ever-present media coverage of emotionally-charged political controversy that can manifest itself during election seasons and other tense periods. This can take a toll on people’s mental health. When news coverage of events becomes overwhelming or you experience political anxiety, we want you to know how to look after your wellbeing. We will show you ways to decrease stress, set boundaries, and restore a sense of balance — even through turbulent times.
Some Wellbeing RESOURCES HERE? Be|Well;
Embed video on Finding Calm in Navigating Political Anxiety
Professional Development
LinkedIn Learning
Be|Well
Resources/ Processes
Emily will provide this content
Free Speech Policy at UNT Health
UNT Health Fort Worth recognizes that the freedom of expression and public assembly are fundamental rights of all persons and are essential components of the educational process. Such activities promote debate and the sharing of ideas, which are the foundation of educational institutions. This policy outlines the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth Free Speech and Public Assembly Guidelines on Campus Grounds.
The responsibility of the University to operate and maintain an effective and efficient institution of higher education requires regulation of the time, place, and manner of assembly, speech, and other expressive activities on the grounds of the University. In keeping with this responsibility, students, faculty, staff and visitors are free to exercise the rights to assemble and engage in expressive activity in a constitutionally-protected manner subject only to the content-neutral regulations necessary to fulfill the mission and obligations of the University; preserve the rights of others; coordinate multiple uses of limited space; assure preservation of the campus facilities and grounds; and assure financial accountability for any damage caused by these activities.