Johns Hopkins University: Student Punished for Party Invitation

Case Materials

• "Letter from Johns Hopkins University Vice President and General Counsel Stephen S. Dunham to FIRE, April 27, 2007," April 27, 2007
• "FIRE Letter to Johns Hopkins University President William Brody, April 2, 2007," April 2, 2007
• "Johns Hopkins University Resolves ‘Halloween in the Hood’ Case; Students’ Rights Remain in Jeopardy," FIRE Press Release, January 8, 2007: After weeks of public pressure, Johns Hopkins University has reduced its draconian punishment of student Justin Park, who posted an “offensive” Halloween party invitation on Facebook.com. The university has concluded Park’s appeal, and he is satisfied with the outcome, but FIRE is troubled that any punishment remains. Moreover, FIRE believes that the university’s conduct throughout this case—and throughout 2006 in general—leaves serious doubts about whether students at Hopkins have even the most minimal rights to free speech and due process.
• "FIRE Letter to Johns Hopkins University President William Brody and Board of Trustees, December 8, 2006," December 8, 2006
• "Letter from Johns Hopkins University Vice President and General Counsel Stephen S. Dunham to FIRE, December 6, 2006," December 6, 2006
• "Johns Hopkins University Suspends Student for One Year for 'Offensive' Halloween Invitation," FIRE Press Release, November 30, 2006: Johns Hopkins University has suspended a student for an entire year for posting Halloween party invitations that some students found offensive on Facebook.com. After the university found 18-year-old junior Justin Park guilty of failing to respect the rights of others, harassment, and intimidation, among other charges, Park sought help from FIRE.
• "FIRE Letter to Johns Hopkins University President William Brody, November 28, 2006," November 28, 2006
• "Letter from Associate Dean of Students Dorothy Sheppard to Justin Park, November 20, 2006," November 20, 2006
• "Letter from Associate Dean of Students Dorothy Sheppard to Justin Park, November 6, 2006," November 6, 2006
• "Second 'Halloween in the Hood' Party Invitation, Posted by Justin Park on Facebook.com, October 27, 2006," October 27, 2006
• "'Halloween in the Hood' Party Invitation, Posted by Justin Park on Facebook.com, October 26, 2006," October 26, 2006
• "Johns Hopkins University 2006-2007 Student Handbook," September 1, 2006

Media Coverage

• "Looking back at a crisis, one year later," Max McKenna, Johns Hopkins News-Letter, November 2, 2007: One year later, few substantive changes have been made within the University in response to the controversial Halloween in the ‘Hood party.
• "Campus Alert: Hassled at Hopkins," New York Post, June 18, 2007
• "Facing off over Facebook," Greg Lukianoff and William Creeley, The Boston Phoenix, February 21, 2007
• "Johns Hopkins’ 1st Amendment," Edward Delp, Indiana Daily Student, January 12, 2007
• "Johns Hopkins student appeals punishment for Facebook advertisement," Scott Sternberg, Student Press Law Center News Flash, January 11, 2007
• "Hopkins cuts punishment for student over ‘Hood’ Halloween party," Associated Press, January 9, 2007
• "Penalty reduced over ‘hood’ party," Sumathi Reddy, The Baltimore Sun, January 9, 2007
• "Hopkins cuts punishment in party case," Inside Higher Ed, January 9, 2007
• "Campus thought police," Jason Antebi, Front Page Magazine, December 8, 2006
• "Johns Hopkins suspends student for Facebook Halloween party advertisement," Marnette Federis, Student Press Law Center News Flash, December 6, 2006
• "Conduct unbecoming," FOXNews.com, December 3, 2006
• "Hopkins student appeals suspension for offensive Web posting," Ron Cassie, The Baltimore Examiner, December 1, 2006
• "Student expelled for year for invitation," United Press International, December 1, 2006
• "Free speech and punishment at Hopkins," Paul Thacker, Inside Higher Ed, December 1, 2006
• "Race debate shifts to free speech," Sumathi Reddy, The Baltimore Sun, November 30, 2006