ALLIES & ENDORSEMENTS
NDAFreeCampus is honored to call the following individuals, organizations, and campaigns our allies, and we are grateful for the endorsements of those organizations and others.
New Endorsement!
From the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers-USA (IEEE-USA)
"The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers-USA (IEEE-USA) endorses the NDAFreeCampus campaign to end the misuse of non-disclosure agreements that silence survivors of sexual abuse, sexual harassment, workplace harassment, and other forms of bullying in US higher education. Such NDA’s harm both individuals through silencing and institutions by allowing toxic situations to continue. Legitimate NDA’s protect intellectual property and proprietary information and enable the advances in technology that IEEE members are known for. Therefore IEEE-USA recommends that US colleges and universities adopt the University Pledge: “(W)e [our president and board of trustees] commit to not using Non-Disclosure Agreements to silence people who come forward to raise complaints of sexual harassment, abuse or misconduct, discrimination, or other forms of harassment and bullying."
Can’t Buy My Silence
Founded by pioneering advocates Julie Macfarlane and Zelda Perkins, and based in the UK and Canada, Can't Buy My Silence champions legislative and regulatory reform to ensure that NDAs are used only for their intended purpose—to protect trade secrets—and never to silence survivors, whistleblowers, or anyone who speaks up about abuse, harassment, discrimination, or workplace misconduct. Following the highly successful voluntary "University Pledge," committing to "not using Non-Disclosure Agreements to silence people who come forward to raise complaints of sexual harassment, abuse or misconduct, or other forms of harassment and bullying", legislation (the Higher Education Freedom of Speech Act) was passed in February 2023, which is being implemented in spring 2024. In Ontario, Canada the Strengthening Post-Secondary Institutions Act was amended to include a ban on using NDAs for cases of faculty/student sexual misconduct and came into effect in July 2023. The voluntary University Pledge campaign continues in the rest of Canada.
Lift Our Voices
Lift Our Voices is the groundbreaking movement started by Gretchen Carlson and Julie Roginsky, and dedicated to eradicating silencing mechanisms and toxic workplaces through education, advocacy, and legislative change. Carlson’s and Roginsky’s resolve made possible the 2022 Speak Out Act, which passed with overwhelming and rare bipartisan support, and the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act.
Can’t Buy My Silence endorses NDAFreeCampus:
“NDAFreeCampus' advocacy to end the misuse of non-disclosure agreements in U.S. higher education is a welcome step toward upholding values of transparency and accountability in academia. As a survivor, law professor emerita, and someone deeply familiar with the damaging impact of NDAs when used outside their intended purpose, I am heartened that NDAFreeCampus has joined a growing international movement to ensure that survivors are not silenced, and to raise public awareness that will in turn drive legislative and regulatory reform.
We are aligned with our U.S. colleagues in their dedication to ensuring workplace and educational environments that honor survivors' voices and uphold principles of justice and fairness.”
Lift Our Voices endorses NDAFreeCampus
“As survivors of workplace misconduct, we understand the importance of breaking the silence, owning one’s story, and holding institutions accountable. NDAFreeCampus' mission to end the misuse of NDAs in U.S. higher education will empower survivors, promote transparency, and help drive change to end the misuse of non-disclosure agreements.”
The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) endorses NDAFreeCampus
“The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) endorses the mission of NDAFreeCampus to “end the misuse of non-disclosure agreements in US-based colleges and universities and to raise public awareness around the damage to individuals and institutional integrity when NDAs are used to silence survivors of sexual abuse, sexual harassment, workplace harassment, and other forms of bullying.”
