Centre College
Location: Danville, Kentucky
Website: http://www.centre.edu
Type: Private
Federal Circuit: 6th Circuit
Speech Code Rating
Centre College has been given the speech code rating Yellow. Yellow light colleges and universities are those institutions with at least one ambiguous policy that too easily encourages administrative abuse and arbitrary application. Read more here.
Sexual Misconduct Policy
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: January 31, 2018Centre College is committed to a safe and healthy environment and, as such, will not tolerate sexual misconduct of any kind. In addition to violating this Policy, any form of sexual misconduct is also a violation of federal and state laws.
Sexual misconduct is a broad category of behaviors that includes but is not limited to sexual harassment, sexual violence, sexual exploitation, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, cyber-stalking, bullying and cyber-bullying when based on sex or gender.
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Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when … such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work or academic performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working, academic, or campus environment.
… Examples of sexual harassment can include, but are not limited to: … use of language or the presentation of posters/banners and/or t-shirts that promotes the diminishing of a particular sex or gender.
Sexual Misconduct Policy
Speech Code Category: Bullying Policies
Last updated: January 31, 2018The College prohibits bullying and cyber bulling. Bullying or cyber bulling is harassing conduct that may take many forms, including verbal acts and name‐calling; graphic and written statements, which may include use of cell phones or the Internet; or other conduct that may be physically threatening, harmful, or humiliating. Harassment does not have to include intent to harm, be directed at a specific target, or involve repeated incidents. Bullying or cyber bulling creates a hostile environment when the conduct is sufficiently severe, pervasive, or persistent so as to interfere with or limit a person’s ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or opportunities offered by the College. When such harassment is based on gender, sexual orientation, or perceived gender or sexual orientation, it is considered sexual misconduct.
Student Handbook: Publicity General Guidelines
Speech Code Category: Posting and Distribution Policies
Last updated: January 31, 2018Reference to alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs in text, graphic or any other form is prohibited.
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As an institution, Centre respects the dignity of all individuals, and expects that all forms of publicity on its campus will display that respect, along with a sense of common decency.
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The College reserves the right to remove any material that is deemed inappropriate or offensive.
Student Handbook: Student Conduct Code- Proscribed Conduct
Speech Code Category: Policies on Tolerance, Respect, and Civility
Last updated: January 31, 2018Disrespect (harassment, true threats, defamation, obscenity, incitement) for a College official while carrying out their official job responsibilities.
Student Handbook: Student Conduct Code- Proscribed Conduct
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: January 31, 2018Physical, mental, verbal abuse, threats, intimidation, harassment, coercion, and/or conduct, including, but not limited to abuses on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, age and disability, of any person on college premises or at College-sponsored or College-supervised functions, which threatens or intimidates, or endangers the health or safety of any person.
Faculty Handbook: Academic Freedom
Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: January 31, 2018Like most democratic concepts, academic freedom is difficult, perhaps even impossible, to define precisely and unambiguously. It is a guarantee of the right of a special kind of free speech in a special kind of community—the College or university. Ideally, academic freedom is a privileged responsibility that attempts to ensure free inquiry and free expression for members of the Faculty and for students, without fear of restraint, sanction, interference, intimidation, or reprisal from within or without the institution.
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Centre College Revises Policy Banning ‘Disrespect for a College Official’
February 19, 2014
Centre College, FIRE’s June 2012 Speech Code of the Month, has finally revised its policy banning any “disrespect for a college official” after FIRE wrote the college two letters urging it to better protect students’ free speech rights. Because that was Centre’s only “red light” policy (a red light policy is one that both clearly and substantially bans protected expression), the college now earns an improved, “yellow light” speech code rating from FIRE. This change is good news for students at Centre. As FIRE pointed out when we named that policy our Speech Code of the Month, students could have […]
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Speech Code of the Month: Centre College
June 5, 2012
FIRE announces its Speech Code of the Month for June 2012: Centre College in Kentucky. Although it is a private institution, Centre’s Bill of Student Rights promises The right of every student to exercise his/her full rights as a citizen in forming and participating in campus, local, national, or international organizations for intellectual, religious, social, political, economic, or cultural purposes, and to publish and/or determine his/her views and those of his/her organization on campus. Fundamental to one’s rights as a citizen is the right to free speech, including—perhaps most crucially—the right to criticize one’s leaders. But at Centre, that right […]
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