The Council of University System Faculty will meet on Towson’s campus May 18 to discuss Towson’s definition of academic freedom, which will be revised and updated, according to University Senate Chairman Timothy Sullivan.

“Every so often you have to update what is meant by academic freedom,” he said. “How do you define it? So the system will have a policy where there will be an official definition of academic freedom.”

Academic freedom is the range of content faculty is allowed to discuss within the classroom.

Academic freedom has three components, according to Towson’s American Association of University Professors (AAUP) Faculty Association.

First professors have freedom in research and in publication results. Also, they reserve freedom in the classroom discussing topics as long as they are careful not to be controversial on matters that is not related to their subject. And lastly, they are free from institutional censorship and discipline.

Sophomore Alex Salas believes that Towson upholds her thoughts about academic freedom because she’s never had any problems relating to it.

“I think that academic freedom means that teachers should be able to teach what they want to or believe in without getting in trouble,” she said.

The rules for academic freedom are based off of a statement from 1940 that states academic freedom is necessary to accomplish the goals of the University.

“Institutions of higher education are conducted for the common good and not to further the interest of either the individual teacher or the institution as a whole. The common

good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition,” the statement reads.