University officials updated a plan to promote free speech on campus to include safety and security measures, resources for “expressive activities,” and information on GW policies and codes, according to a statement Monday.
University President Ellen Granberg, Provost Chris Bracey and Dean of Students Colette Coleman said in the announcement to the University community that they updated the Strengthening our Community website, which officials unveiled in January, to include sections centered around fostering productive dialogue within the GW community, strengthening support for community members and increasing safety and security. The statement said officials have identified campus safety, the GW community’s freedom of expression and maintaining educational and research programs with minimal interruption as primary commitments, but that these values exist in “tension.”
“Embracing this spirit of engagement also means acknowledging the lessons learned during the last academic year and thinking deeply about how we, an educational institution with a renowned faculty and a community of passionate and committed advocates, engage with one another productively and respectfully,” the statement reads.
Officials initially structured the plan early this year to review free speech policies, create a plan for educational programming for University life during conflict and provide support for those affected by the war in Gaza and doxxing victims. The plan debuted after sweeping student demonstrations across campus and the suspension of a pro-Palestinian student group led to criticisms of the University’s free speech policies.
The updated website includes new information regarding access to University Yard, stating the plaza will remain open to community members from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily and current fencing will remain for at least the “first part” of the fall semester. The website also states the University is looking to install fencing that “aesthetically integrates” into campus and can be quickly deployed or removed.
The website states encampments pose a safety risk to the GW community and are “disruptive” to University operations, saying that the fencing currently remains erected to “better control access” to U-Yard.
After police cleared the encampment in U-Yard in May, officials announced that Kogan Plaza and U-Yard would remain fenced off through commencement on May 19 and replaced the barricades around the outdoor spaces with tall, metal fencing. Officials later removed the metal fencing around Kogan Plaza in July, maintaining the fencing around U-Yard’s perimeters but opening its gates to visitors earlier that month.
The website states officials have increased the frequency of GW Police Department patrols of campus and that there will be 24/7 security presence in Kogan Plaza and U-Yard.
The revamped Strengthening Our Community website hosts additional resources for fostering productive dialogue like faculty-led working groups, which the Provost’s office assigned with recommendations for topics like encouraging open dialogue, promoting free expression while maintaining a culture of respect and identifying pathways to greater inclusion.
Faculty senators in May criticized officials for their lack of faculty involvement in the handling of the U-Yard encampment, urging officials to use faculty members as a resource for key decision-making.
As part of efforts to strengthen partnership and support, officials added information about the new Center for Interfaith and Spiritual Life, which officials announced in June, detailing programming like Iftars and Shabbat dinners that the University will carry out throughout the year.
Officials said in the statement that they hope the Strengthening our Community website will enhance “community engagement and conflict education” on campus. As further plans and initiatives working toward this similar goal are rolled out, officials will share the guidelines with deans, the Faculty Senate, Student Government Association and Staff Council, the statement said.
The statement also said officials will announce the next phase of the strategic plan framework process in the coming weeks. The University has been without a strategic plan since 2020, when officials paused then-University President Thomas LeBlanc’s 20/30 plan, which intended to decrease the undergraduate population by 20 percent and increase the amount of STEM majors by 30 percent, and later ruled it obsolete.
