WUSTL statement on personal Web page guidelines

Sept. 27, 2005 -- Washington University Web guidelines allow personal pages produced by students, graduates, faculty or staff members. The university does not monitor these personal pages and is not responsible for their content. As long as personal Web pages comply with local, state and federal law — and do not involve copyright infringement, constitute libel or harassment, contain illegal materials, or consume inappropriate amounts of bandwidth — they may reside on the university's servers.

The views and opinions expressed by Professor Jonathan Katz on his personal Web page are his personal statements and do not represent the opinion of Washington University. Professor Katz clearly states this important distinction on his page, and he has the right to express opinion in this context and under these conditions. As long as Professor Katz does not use his University-conferred authority in matters related to students (grading, recommending, mentoring, etc.) to reward those who share his views or punish those who do not, and does not otherwise participate in any discriminatory activity that would violate the university's antidiscrimination policy, he has a right to free speech to express his opinions under the Web page policy of the university.

Washington University is committed to a work environment free of harassment and disruptive behavior, and to providing an equal opportunity work environment where every member of the University community is treated with fairness, dignity and respect. No one shall discriminate against any individual on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, or any other factor prohibited by law.

The university's policy on discriminatory harassment notes that: " … the free and open exchange of ideas and viewpoints … may sometimes prove distasteful, disturbing or offensive to some. Indeed, the examination and challenging of assumptions, beliefs or viewpoints that is intrinsic to education may sometimes be disturbing to the individual. Neither the policy on sexual harassment nor this policy is intended to compromise Washington University's traditional commitment to academic freedom or to education that encourages students to challenge their own views of themselves and the world."