When twelve Ball State University students tried to meet with their president to discuss the university’s investments, they did everything right: they checked the website, emailed, called, left messages, and stopped by the office — but they were met with silence.
So the students went to the president’s office during normal business hours to try to schedule that meeting. They weren’t chanting or trying to stage a sit-in; they were just there to talk. But instead of speaking with the students, staff locked the doors and refused to let them enter.
Two administrators met them in the hallway and told them to leave the building — during normal business hours, in a building open to the public, on their own college campus.
Ball State charged the students with conduct violations, imposing punishments ranging from probation to punitive community service and reflection papers, claiming they violated a ban on protests near buildings because they entered as a group.
Video evidence shows the students were calm and nondisruptive, patiently waiting at locked doors until administrators arrived.
At a public university, students do not lose their First Amendment rights at the door of an administration building.
Ball State must drop the charges, lift the sanctions, and fix its vague policies. Tell Ball State University to respect free speech and stop punishing protected expression.
