Western Washington University commits to the following values when responding to campus protests:
We commit to a safe campus environment. As an institution, we are committed to ensuring the safety of our community members. Our goal will be to listen to concerns, work to understand issues presented, and determine what response is needed. A situation will be deemed unsafe if it presents physical harm, or credible threat of physical harm, to people or property. Our first responders will respond quickly to any emergency situation involving physical threat, regardless of the protest. We will work in collaboration with our campus first responders to assess each situation and determine the best campus response.
We believe that every voice matters. We affirm the right of every student, faculty and staff member to share their voice in our campus community. We acknowledge and appreciate the role that free expression and public assembly can play in making strides toward greater equity and opportunity in higher education and society as a whole.
We seek to understand. We will seek to understand the issues that lead people to protest both in the moment of protest and beyond. We believe understanding and maintaining lines of communication with campus leaders may help build relationships and trust. We believe extending opportunities for communication with campus leaders may offer additional avenues to voicing concerns and working in collaboration toward solving larger issues.
We communicate and engage with people in protest. We will always strive to create and maintain active communication with demonstrators and protest organizers during a protest and may call upon campus leaders to help in this endeavor. We believe creating and maintaining lines of communication before, during, and after protest gives us the best opportunity to ensure safety and find opportunities for common understanding.