Academic freedom is a source of lively debate right now among some at Kansas University, where the cases of two faculty members have propelled the term out of academia and into mainstream headlines. And KU is not the only school with academic freedom disputes making the news.

Theres unease among faculty on the KU campus now that the Kansas Board of Regents social media policy has been approved but not yet applied to anyone, which would reveal the extent of its restrictiveness, said University Senate President Jonathan Mayhew, a professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.

There is a sense that academic freedom is under threat, Mayhew said. People feel that they dont really know ... what the limits are now.

Likewise, a pending lawsuit by a School of Business lecturer who does not want KU to release his emails to students requesting them under the Kansas Open Records Act has faculty wondering exactly where the academic freedom balance tips.

As a faculty member I dont love the idea that every email I write might be subject to public disclosure under the Kansas Open Records Act, said Richard Levy, J.B. Smith Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law. But at the same time I also, as a lawyer, recognize that when you use your employers email you have no claim to privacy in those emails.

KU journalism professor David Guth.

Art Hall, KU School of Business

In 2013, KU journalism associate professor David Guth was put on leave for an anti-NRA tweet after a mass shooting at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. The situation inflamed gun-rights supporters, outraged some politicians and prompted the Regents to enact a statewide policy allowing universities to fire faculty members who post messages on social media that are contrary to the best interests of the employer.

Currently, the University Senate is working to finalize a procedure for the university to adopt that would outline the fact-finding and possible disciplinary process for a faculty member accused of violating the policy.

In Douglas County District Court, a judge will decide whether to release lecturer Art Halls correspondence. Hall is founding executive director of KUs Center for Applied Economics and former chief economist for the Public Sector Group of Koch Industries Inc.

More here:

Academic freedom: Scholarly concept sparks lively mainstream debate