To: All faculty and staff
From:
Lois Geist, associate provost for faculty
Cheryl Reardon, chief human resources officer and associate vice president
Intent: Inform all University of Iowa faculty and staff of the institution's political expression guidelines. Please review the information below and bookmark the websites for future reference.
Date: Oct. 10, 2023
The University of Iowa fully supports the constitutional right of faculty and staff to express their personal opinions regarding political candidates and issues in ways that do not affect their university employment.
As employees of a public institution, however, faculty and staff have a responsibility when exercising their right to be clear that their opinions are their own and they are not expressed within the scope of their university employment responsibilities. Faculty and staff must also take care to adhere to policies regarding use of university resources. Finally, political expression may still have an impact upon employment in the case of individuals who serve "at will" as temporary, probationary employees, or those in administrative, policymaking or leadership positions, unless their speech, action, or expression of opinion is otherwise protected.
The purpose of this email is to ensure that faculty and staff know their rights and responsibilities under applicable policies as they engage in discourse about political matters.
Please visit this webpage to view the political expression guidelines for staff.
Please visit this webpage to view the political expression guidelines for faculty.
There are times when the UI is directly involved in the legislative process and may take a formal position on a particular bill. Faculty and staff are encouraged to contact the Office of Governmental Affairs before contacting members of the Legislature.
