The administration of the College of Staten Island has a deep commitment to shared governance and an immutable dedication to academic freedom and the right of free speech. Contrary to the suggestion in an email from Professor Cooper dated Thursday, May 7, 2009, the administration acted consistently with those principles in connection with the recent performance of a student play at the College.
The play, when it completes its scheduled run, will have been produced seven times at the College, in addition to a performance of one act of the play at the Undergraduate Research Conference, with no attempt to censor its content.
There were discussions, which included the student director of the play as well as members of the faculty and the administration, about the appropriateness of its contents for high school students, who would be visiting the College during the Conference as part of an outreach initiative. However, the only decision that was made by the administration was to allow the play to be performed at the Conference as planned. That decision was made on the merits and was not the result of external pressure.
