(a) The chair of the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina System shall designate a standing or special committee of the Board of Governors to act as the Committee on Free Expression.

(b) All employees of The University of North Carolina System and all State agencies shall cooperate with the Committee on Free Expression by providing information requested by the Committee.

(c) The Committee on Free Expression shall report to the public, the Board of Governors, the Governor, and the General Assembly by September 1 of every year. The report shall include all of the following:

(1) A description of any barriers to or disruptions of free expression within the constituent institutions.

Terms Used In North Carolina General Statutes 116-301

  • following: when used by way of reference to any section of a statute, shall be construed to mean the section next preceding or next following that in which such reference is made; unless when some other section is expressly designated in such reference. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories, so called; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the said district and territories and all dependencies. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3

(2) A description of the administrative handling and discipline relating to these disruptions or barriers.

(3) A description of substantial difficulties, controversies, or successes in maintaining a posture of administrative and institutional neutrality with regard to political or social issues.

(4) Any assessments, criticisms, commendations, or recommendations the Committee sees fit to include.

The requirement of reporting to the public may be met by publishing the report on The University of North Carolina System’s Web site. (2017-196, s. 1; 2018-5, s. 10.3.)