Marquette University - Hilltop Yearbook (Milwaukee, WI)

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available for specialized research. Marquette provides occasions for her instructors to promote their views through frequent faculty-administration conferences. She recognizes the men and women on her faculty as necessary parts of a whole anti, therefore, does not seek to dominate them. The other aspect of academic freedom involves the student. His life at the university is a gradual liberating process. Whereas at first the wisdom and experience of the faculty and administration substitute for the lack of wisdom and experience in the student, as the student progresses in his education, he is given more responsibility and more freedom of action. Throughout his university career, the student is free to remain in the university or to leave the university, to study or not to study, to study well or to study poorly. Although the intellect is naturally compelled to accept the truth when it is known, and although the student is taught that to know some things is better than to know other things, yet the student is free to choose one branch of specialized knowledge rather than another. Thus, the Marquette student benefits from the obligation which his University has imposed upon herself—of possessing, communicating, and increasing knowledge. He is offered a variety of paths to the truth-philosophy, theology, art. science. He is forced to accept no one of them, but is encouraged to think through to the truth in whatever field he judges to l e lx st in accord with his own inclinations and abilities. At Marquette, a student may choose his own courses. He may seek advice from any teacher. He may participate freely in classroom discussions. The student may do research on his own and set forth his findings in papers he writes. He may conduct experiments and, in so doing, seek any extra help he wishes. In fulfilling her educational obligations, Marquette affords academic freedom to Ixith teacher and student. In the process, she remains close to her dedicated purpose-of teaching what is true. The paths to truth are many, but the ultimate goal is the same. The means to achieve it through knowledge, can constantly be advanced. Marquette is ever watchful to increase knowledge through her faculty as well as in her students. By doing this, she expands the truth and disseminates it widely, thus serving not only her own community, but her state, her nation, and the world.

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Academic Freedom F REEDOM characteristically belongs to those who possess reason. Since what man chooses as a means to an end is viewed as good, and since good is what he desires, freedom of choice belongs to the will which is enlightened by the knowledge possessed by the intellect. Because the object of both the rational will and its liberty is the good which conforms to reason, possible error and actual error are defects of the mind. Man, acting according to reason, acts of himself and in conformity to his free will—and this is liberty. In academic freedom, which is a particularized form of freedom, there is involved, in addition to one’s choice of his own good, the choosing of what will be good for others. Upon teachers rests the responsibility of conforming to right reason so that what they present to their students is true. Academic freedom means the right to learn the truth and to teach the truth. A teacher has the right to impart what is suitable to the student's mind, wliat will provide for the well-being and perfection of each intelligent nature. But along with that right, the teacher also has an obligation. It is his duty to bring knowledge to those who lack it anti to keep and further it in those who have it. The teacher’s duty' coincides with the right of man to know and increase his knowledge of the truth. Teachers are generally associated with some educational institution. Possessing the truth, the facility of that institution is obliged to teach it, and should do so without restriction. That is one phase of academic freedom. A university can encourage her teachers to proceed to conclusions resulting from their own thought and study. She can direct them to self-advancement by means of research on her time as well as on the individuals’ time. She can encourage their progress by granting leaves of absence for further study or experimentation. She can invite these men to make permanent records of their findings to her walls, a university can urge their widespread publication. By so doing, she will exhibit pride in her members and through their success, advance her own reputation. Marquette University’s aim in education is in accord with the fundamental purposes of Jesuit education—to outfit the human intellect with wisdom and knowledge which will attract the human will to the ways of achievement which God designed for man. Marquette believes that “to the extent that intellectual activity is not free, man is not free.” Her statutes say, “The natural sacred right of freedom of expression is, of course, recognized by Marquette University as a requisite for effective and intelligent dissemination of ideas. Marquette fosters her l»eliefs by permitting her faculty members to present to their students their thoughts and ideas on subjects in which they are specialists. Marquette has granted leaves of absence to numerous instructors for advanced work in philosophy, history, language, science, journalism. She has welcomed publications of her faculty and has promoted them enthusiastically. She has encouraged and made facilities

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Freedom of Expression Expression is the trademark of man. Expression is a sign of intellectual thought and of free will, powers which are uniquely man’s. Because of these powers and because of the common ends of men, man is said to be a social person. He does not walk alone in this world; he shares his existence and his ideas with other men. Thus, expression is a very important power. It is so important that man's natural right to express himself is inalienable. Man is free to express what should be expressed. It must always be kept in mind that freedom of expression is not freedom to say what one chooses to say. That is not freedom but license and would result in the evils of heresy, licentiousness and detraction. A rational being must communicate reasonably. A social being must communicate within the limits of the common good of his society. Man, being both rational and social, must then communicate according to the dictates of his reason and according to the good of his society. Only then will he be truly free, because only then will he be acting according to his nature. A person is most free when he is perfecting his own nature. When man chooses to express what is good, he is exercising the glorious freedom of self perfection. This exercise can only be externally abridged and in such forms as censorship and tyranny. Since freedom of expression involves the communication of what ought to be communi- cated, it is clear that man has certain duties, as well as rights, regarding expression. Man, the free agent can express what he wants to. But man. tlie responsible agent, must express only what is morally good. Bound by reality, man should communicate only the truth. He should never lie. He should not remain silent when injustice or evil threatens. Man is subject to authority and has the duty of obedience, a duty which must often limit his exercise of the right of expression. Most of all, man must be cliaritable in his expression. The violence of expression is a violence unequalled by any physical one. It can cloud the brightness of a good name; worse, it can ruin a human soul. Expression is not free unless charitable, for the man wlio communicates uncharitably is a slave to sin. Expression presupposes knowledge, so a university training is clearly important to freedom of expression. The chief limitation to communication is the lack of something to communicate. A man cannot express what he does not know. A university training greatly encourages freedom of expression by helping to remove the shackles of ignorance. And in doing this, a university education also lessens the danger of external suppression. Censorship and suppression are less often necessary among good and intelligent men. Too reasonable to communicate improperly, they are a law unto themselves. Finally, a university training ad-