Dear Campus Community,

You may have heard about a recent incident in which a student felt harassed in response to the expression of politically conservative views.

At the University of Montana, we take all allegations of discrimination and harassment very seriously. We investigate, through a formal process, reported incidents of discrimination and harassment because we believe in the dignity and worth of every member of our community. 

More broadly, I want to clearly state that we adamantly support students, faculty, staff and members of the public in expressing their opinions—from every point on the political spectrum. Our campus community is much stronger when all can openly share and debate a broad range of ideas. The respectful, informed exchange of ideas sits at the heart of a college education and remains a cornerstone of the University of Montana’s commitment to curiosity, inquiry and critical thinking. 

We invite—and in fact, need—diversity of thought in our campus community. We know that differing viewpoints can make people uncomfortable. However, there is a line between the expression of viewpoints that may cause discomfort and the harassment of individuals. The latter is not appropriate, and we have processes for investigating reports and addressing harassment. 

At the University of Montana, we commit to promoting an environment that is free from harassment and good for robust debate and learning. 

Seth