Intersections Between Compliance, Free Speech, and Academic Freedom In-Person
The Office for Faculty Excellence and the Dialogue Across Difference Working Group invite all faculty members to join a conversation with the Director of Institutional Compliance Paul Apicella. The session will explore how faculty can approach sensitive conversations in ways that support learning while avoiding common missteps. Drawing on Title VI principles as a guide, the discussion will highlight strategies for navigating challenging topics with care and professionalism. Participants will receive practical insights into fostering dialogue that is both respectful of the principles of academic freedom and legally aligned.
- Date:
- Thursday, October 16, 2025
- Time:
- 12:00pm - 1:00pm
- Time Zone:
- Eastern Time - US & Canada (change)
- Location:
- ADP Center 1143
- Audience:
- Faculty Faculty Leaders Instructors
Dr. Jason Williams is a Professor of Justice Studies at Montclair State University. He’s a passionate activist criminologist deeply concerned about racial and gender disparity and mistreatment within the criminal legal system. He’s published various articles on returning citizens and incarceration, policing and race, gender, and social control, and the broader implications around racialized social control. He is a qualitative criminologist who engages in community-grounded approaches to research. His perspectives and research has been quoted by media outlets around the nation.
Paul Apicella is the University’s Director of Institutional Compliance and Title IX Coordinator. He is also the institution’s Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Officer. Paul is primarily responsible for overseeing the University’s response to issues of discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct, and ensuring the institution remains in compliance with related state, local, and federal laws. He has over a decade of experience working on institutional compliance efforts in both private practice and the higher education setting. Paul has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Arizona and a Juris Doctor from Temple University.
Dr. Vera Senina is a cross-disciplinary teacher and scholar in the humanities, critical theory, medical narratives, and computational linguistics. Vera has experience teaching in diverse modalities, designing innovative student-centered courses, and organizing conference panels and workshops on inclusive curriculum development, assessment strategies, and project-based learning. She also has top-company industry experience in language AI, team development, and project management.