Dear CSN Community:

In early Spring, we formed an initial Presidential Taskforce to consider potential actions to take following certain Federal Executive Orders. Those planning discussions resulted in two changes: 1) the change of title and responsibilities for a Coordinator of Undocumented Students to Coordinator for Student Success and Mentorship Program; and 2) the change of office name from the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to the Office of Diversity.

We continue to monitor Executive Orders closely but the ongoing discussions from the cabinet do not necessarily mean institutional changes will occur. We want to consider contingency plans, but we will not make substantive changes without informing the college community.

Recently, the CSN-NFA IDEA Committee wrote to me to share some concerns regarding the current national political climate and its potential impact on our institution. While they asked for me to respond to them, I believe that the concerns they raised are relevant to the entire college, so I am sharing the issues and the leadership response with all of you.

The IDEA Committee acknowledged that the recent issuance of Executive Orders presents challenges nationwide.  However, they expressed a firm belief that we should remain steadfast in our development and implementation of CSN’s goals and purposes. The leadership team and I share this belief that our college must remain focused on fostering a campus environment where all members of our community feel valued, respected, and empowered.

Below are the specific items they presented and my responses to each one:

•      Maintain a Safe and Secure Environment:Continue to provide a safe and secure environment, including physical spaces, for all students, faculty, and staff.

CSN is committed to ensuring that all spaces on our campuses are safe and secure for all students, faculty, staff, and visitors.

•      Clarify Commitment to Academic Freedom: Affirm that faculty are subject matter experts who should determine their course content and teaching methods. The administration should explicitly state support for academic freedom, ensuring that external pressures do not interfere with curricular decisions.

Our faculty are the greatest intellectual resources at our institution. CSN is fully committed to academic freedom. Faculty are expected to pursue knowledge without undue interference. This allows faculty the freedom to discuss relevant topics in the classroom, present diverse perspectives, and engage in critical thinking. Faculty shall have freedom from censorship or punishment for exercising academic freedom and shall have freedom in their teaching methods in accordance with their discipline.  We will continue to uphold our Academic Freedom Policy and its objectives.

•      Preserve Existing Resources: Refrain from erasing or obscuring websites and resources that provide information on diversity, inclusion, and related initiatives. The CSN-NFA-IDEA committee will proactively explore and implement effective communication strategies to keep faculty, students, and staff informed about our ongoing work.

CSN continues to embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion as enduring values within our academic community.  We must remain vigilant to ensure that our programs, activities, academic offerings, and decisions never limit opportunities for any members of our academic community and create inclusive campus environments, supporting student success, and fostering a sense of belonging for all CSN community members.

•      Ensure Equitable Recruitment and Hiring: Uphold fair, open, and equitable recruitment and hiring processes that actively seek and welcome individuals from diverse demographics, cultures, national origins, and ideologies. We must not only recruit, but also hire, a diverse faculty and staff that reflects the richness of our society.

CSN will continue to value diversity in our hiring practices.  To achieve this, we must ensure that our search, interview, and selection processes are inclusive and mitigate bias at every stage. We will also ensure that we comply with state and federal laws to assure that we do not limit opportunities for any qualified individual.

•      Uphold Legal Obligations:Reaffirm our commitment to adhering to all applicable laws, including Title IX and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

CSN is fully committed and obligated to follow all state and federal laws.

•      Ensure Student Privacy:Declare classrooms to be private spaces, off-limits to government authorities, since students must be enrolled in the class to be allowed into the classroom.

CSN is committed to following well established legal case law that has established different forums for expression and access on our campuses.  Those include:

1. Public forums, which are generally restricted to outdoor spaces such as plazas and sidewalks. Access and expression may still be limited, but only for the purpose of maintaining order on our campuses.  CSN may provide certain levels of time, place, and manner restrictions to maintain order, but these restrictions must be reasonable.
2. Limited public forums. Classrooms and meetings spaces generally fall into this category.  Access and expression may be limited to the purpose of the use of the classroom and meeting space during that time.  For example, a faculty member may control access and expression during a class and can expect to have that right enforced by the college. 
3. Private forums. Residence hall rooms, private offices, and other non-public spaces generally fall into this category.  Although all spaces on our campuses belong to the State of Nevada, current occupants of those spaces are afforded some control over expression and access in those spaces. 

However, it is important to note, and as pointed out in a recent communication from the Nevada Attorney General, government officials or law enforcement that bring lawful, court ordered subpoenas or warrants, cannot be denied access to any space or any records on our campuses that are covered by those legal documents.  Guidance has already been distributed on our campuses and training is under way for certain offices and departments to assure that all understand that we always have the right to call in an expert (i.e. CSN General Counsel or law enforcement) to affirm that a subpoena or warrant is, in fact, court ordered and legal. 

CSN will remain fully committed to the mission, purpose, and goals of our institution and support, encourage, and remain focused on the success of all of our students, faculty, and staff.  We celebrate the diversity of our community and embrace the value that it brings to us all.

Best regards,

Bill

Dr. Bill Kibler
Acting President