Penn has been trying to push through a troubling new “open expression” policy under the radar. The policy is still a draft, but the administration is trying to pass the policy early in the fall 2026 semester.
Use the button below to email Provost, Dr. John L. Jackson, Jr. and President J. Larry Jameson and voice your concerns.
What’s in the proposed new open expression policy?
The new rules would:
- Permanently restrict political speech without administration approval;
- Hand discipline decisions to a new Executive Director, who answers only to the Provost; and
- Potentially punish students, faculty, and staff for what they post on social media.
The old system had a safeguard: an independent Committee on Open Expression, appointed by the Faculty Senate with faculty, student, and staff representation. It interpreted the rules, updated them with community input, and reviewed discipline cases. The new draft strips away this committee’s power and gives it to one Provost-appointed staffer.
The revision process used by Penn was secretive from day one. University policy required feedback sessions in relation to the newly-drafted guidelines, but these happened only after students and faculty pushed hard for them — and then the President, Provost, and Task Force members skipped them entirely. Alumni were shut out here, too.
The result is far more restrictive than what came before. The old rules named a short list of violations and let the independent Committee interpret them case-by-case. The new rules are rigid and bureaucratic in ways that don’t serve students’ growth as engaged citizens. Event and protest permissions are now harder to get. New social media rules ban livestreaming campus events and regulate speech both on and off campus.
Alumni Email template
The button above provides an email template for alumni, pre-addressed to Penn’s president and provost. Simply add your name and Penn graduating class and hit send. Done! Or feel free to edit or add your personal concerns about Penn’s open expression guidelines. Either way, your voice matters!
Problem using the button?
Click here to write and paste text in your email message
Email addresses:
Dr. John L. Jackson, Jr., provost@upenn.edu
J. Larry Jameson, president@upenn.edu
Subject: Restore real open expression on campus
Dear [President Jameson / Provost Jackson],
I’m writing to express my concern about the crackdown on free expression at Penn.
I urge the university to restore the speech protections in place before 2024, and to bring back the independent Committee on Open Expression as the first line of response on conduct issues.
Please end the Temporary Standards now and return to the guidelines that served Penn well for fifty years.
Don’t shortchange today’s students on free speech and civic engagement. The years ahead will bring real chances for public debate — Penn voices shouldn’t be silenced during this critical moment in our nation’s history.
Sincerely,
[NAME]
Class of [YEAR]
