Penn’s open expression revision process will face further delays, faculty and administrators shared at a Wednesday University Council meeting.
In what marks a second postponement in the revision process, the University will continue to solicit feedback on the guidelines over the coming months before finalizing a draft in early 2027. Students also shared concerns about Title IX reporting and barriers to international student enrollment at the Oct. 14 meeting.
Penn President Larry Jameson reaffirmed the University’s commitment to sexual violence prevention during his opening remarks. He lauded Penn’s newly established Center for Civil Rights and announced the University’s plans to expand education and awareness efforts and increase Title IX capacity.
Penn Carey Law School professor Paul Heaton — a member of the Committee on Open Expression — summarized the “collaborative” open expression revision process, which has involved regular meetings to draft, collectively edit, and discuss the guidelines.
Provost John Jackson Jr. pushed the initial deadline back in June, hoping to allow more time for community feedback. At the time, Jackson said Penn was aiming to present a final draft at the Nov. 18 University Council meeting, though he emphasized flexibility.
An updated draft, reflecting community feedback gathered after the initial version was released in March, is set to be published on Oct. 20. Three listening sessions on Nov. 17, 19, and 20 will provide the campus community additional opportunities to comment. The finalized draft will be sent to Jameson for review early next year.
Many undergraduate and graduate representatives shared concerns about the timing of the sessions, which are scheduled to take place at 4 p.m., noon, and 9 a.m. Community members previously said that two listening sessions in April also occurred at inconvenient times.
Penn Carey Law professor Eric Feldman, who serves as senior advisor to the provost on open expression, said that a low volume of community feedback made it difficult for the University to “strike the right balance.” He estimated that, so far, at most 500 individuals have shared their perspectives.
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“In my view, far too few of the Penn community appear to be paying close attention,” Feldman said at the meeting. “Please invite your constituencies to join a conversation about expression on campus.”
College senior and Undergraduate Assembly President Musab Chummun asked whether the new draft “fosters open expression,” “incentivizes difficult discourse,” and allows for “civil demonstrations.”
“If the guidelines don’t do that, we’ve failed,” Feldman replied.
Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives David Asch provided updates on the progress of Penn Forward, a University-wide strategic framework announced last fall. He discussed shaping “Penn’s future in a moment that asks a lot” — specifically in reference to an evolving federal funding landscape and a “decline” in trust in higher education.
Asch focused on three of the nine priority initiatives that were identified earlier this year: the Quaker Commitment, Penn San Francisco, and Penn Partners for Impact.
“Many of our undergraduate, graduate, and professional students recognize that tech and the kinds of venture activity that is emblematic of San Francisco is relevant to their future,” Asch said.
The cost of attendance calculator the University released on Wednesday will “make it easy to understand and predict what a Penn education will cost,” according to Asch.
During the open forum, Chummun criticized the “lack of student and faculty representation” on the presidential search committee for Jameson’s successor. Student involvement is a “precondition to progress,” he said, adding that the UA intends to propose amendments to the Penn Board of Trustees bylaws.
Earlier this week, the Faculty Senate’s tri-chairs sent a letter to Trustees chair Ramanan Raghavendran calling for more diverse representation on the committee.
College junior and UA Speaker Rafaa Bukhary discussed a proposed $100,000 fee on Optional Practical Training — which currently allows international students to remain and work in the country for one to three years post-graduation — and its impacts on international student enrollment.
“When those students stop coming, we all feel that loss,” she said. “A Penn education is global because of the people here.”
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Senior reporter Kathryn Ye covers central administration and can be reached at ye@thedp.com. At Penn, she studies biochemistry and philosophy. Follow her on X @Kathryn__Ye.
