Fresno State President Joseph I. Castro issued a statement (below) today regarding “concerns and complaints that I’ve heard from many students, faculty and staff about the speakers who used our Speaker’s Platform earlier this week.”
Some students complained about religious-themed speakers admonishing students passing by in the area just north of Henry Madden Library. Castro noted that the Fresno State campus is a free speech zone and the University supports the rights of individuals to express their opinions.
“But let me be clear on this: the intolerant language and disrespectful tone of their speech do not reflect the values of inclusion, respect and civility that we encourage and model on this campus,” he wrote in the message sent out via the University’s employee listserv and social media outlets.
He urged all individuals to have respect for each other’s free speech rights and encouraged students and employees to use such events as the Conversations on Inclusion, Respect and Equity forum to address any concerns.
Presented by the President’s Commission on Human Relations and Equity, the forum discussions are held the third Thursday of the month during academic semesters from 12:15 to 1:45 p.m. in the University Student Union (Rooms 312-314) with the next one scheduled March 18.
The student newspaper The Collegian editorialized about the matter also. See the president’s full statement:
