Often, people at a university, or from the community in which the university is situated, object to a school’s courses, organizations, or speakers. They find them
“offensive,” or “hostile” to the moral standards of the community
as a whole. But the imagination needs protection so that it might
grow, just as historical and scientific facts need to be
available for people to interpret, although other people might
object to being confronted with them. The AAUP’s statement has
sections on Academic Freedom and Artistic Expression,
Accountability (universities need not be thought to endorse
artwork displayed on campus), Rights and Responsibilities of the
Audience, and Public Funding.