Student Handbook: Student Code of Conduct- Abusive Conduct

Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: December 6, 2016

Any actions against one’s self or others that causes physical injury, intimidates, harasses, threatens or otherwise interferes with another person’s rightful actions. This includes but is not limited to … verbal abuse, abuse via electronic means (e.g. cyber bullying), and physical battery.

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Abusive conduct that is harassing is defined as any words, gestures or actions directed at an individual or group that may cause a reasonable person to experience fear or intimidation. Harassment of all kinds that is directed at an individual is reprehensible and will not be tolerated by the University.

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Student Handbook: Student Code of Conduct- Obscene Conduct

Speech Code Category: Policies on Tolerance, Respect, and Civility
Last updated: December 6, 2016

Any conduct or expression that is lewd or indecent that is not constitutionally protected speech.

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Student Handbook: Advertising & Posting

Speech Code Category: Posting and Distribution Policies
Last updated: December 6, 2016

ALL postings are to avoid degrading, disrespectful remarks or advertisements.

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Student Handbook: Freedom of Expression

Speech Code Category: Protest and Demonstration Policies
Last updated: December 6, 2016

Individuals and organizations wishing to exercise their freedom of speech or “the right of the People peaceably to assemble,” must register with the Dean of Students at least 24 hours in advance. Standard space reservation procedures must be followed. If notice is given less than 24 hours in advance, the university will make every effort to grant such a request provided that safety and security issues and logistical concerns can be appropriately addressed. The location of the assembly will be determined by University Officials in consultation with the organizers and will be based on safety and security concerns.

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Student Handbook: Policies Regarding the Use of the University’s Computing and Communications Systems

Speech Code Category: Internet Usage Policies
Last updated: December 6, 2016

In making acceptable use of resources you must NOT: … Use University systems for commercial or for partisan political purposes. … Use mail or messaging services to harass or to intimidate another person, for example, by broadcasting unsolicited messages, by sending unwanted mail, or by using someone else’s name or User ID.

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Residence Life Handbook: Posting

Speech Code Category: Posting and Distribution Policies
Last updated: December 6, 2016

Posting of profanity or obscenities is not permitted in public areas. This includes, but is not limited to, room doors facing public areas, windows, and common areas. Residents may be asked to remove postings from these common or public spaces.

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Student Handbook: Discrimination, Harassment, Sexual Misconduct, and Retaliation Policy and Procedures

Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: December 6, 2016

Harassment is a form of discrimination in which unwelcome verbal, written, or physical conduct is directed toward an individual on the basis of his or her protected characteristics or statuses (race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, veteran status, political affiliation, or any other status protected by law), by any member of the campus community. Harassment does not have to include intent to harm, be directed at a specific target, or involve repeated incidents. Harassment violates this policy when it creates a hostile environment, as defined below.

Sexual Harassment is a form of discrimination based on sex. It is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other conduct of a sexual nature including: verbal (e.g., specific demands for sexual favors, sexual innuendoes, sexually suggestive comments, jokes of a sexual nature, sexual propositions, or sexual threats); non-verbal (e.g., sexually suggestive emails, other writings, articles or documents, objects or pictures, graphic commentaries, suggestive or insulting sounds or gestures, leering, whistling, or obscene gestures); or physical (e.g., touching, pinching, brushing the body, any unwelcome or coerced sexual activity, including sexual assault). Sexual harassment, including sexual assault, can involve persons of the same or different sexes.

This policy prohibits the following types of sexual harassment:

a. Term or condition of employment or education: This type of sexual harassment (often referred to as “quid pro quo” harassment) occurs when the terms or conditions of employment, educational benefits, academic grades or opportunities, living environment or participation in a CNU activity are conditioned upon, either explicitly or implicitly, submission to or rejection of unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favors, or such submission or rejection is a factor in decisions affecting that individual’s employment, education, living environment, or participation in a CNU program or activity.

b. Hostile environment: Acts that create a hostile environment, as defined below.

Hostile Environment may be conduct in any medium (e.g., oral, written, graphic, or physical) that is sufficiently severe, persistent or pervasive and objectively offensive that it interferes with, limits or denies the ability of an individual to participate in or benefit from educational programs, services, opportunities, or activities or the individual’s employment access, benefits or opportunities. Mere subjective offensiveness is not enough to create a hostile environment.

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Student Handbook: Freedom of Expression

Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: December 6, 2016

Universities occupy a unique place in our society. They are institutions of higher learning dedicated to the discovery and dissemination of knowledge and, in that capacity, they assign a high priority to the freedom of speech. … As an instrumentality of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Christopher Newport University is committed to its constitutional obligations to respect rights of expression.

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Requiring a Red Flag

July 10, 2015

By Jake New at Inside Higher Ed Last month, New York became the second state to require colleges to note on a transcript if a student was suspended or dismissed for sexual assault. Though the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act is sometimes erroneously cited by colleges as preventing them from sharing such details on a college transcript, no laws prevent colleges from doing so. Few colleges are required to, however. That’s starting to change, with growing state and federal interest in the requirement leading to laws like those recently — and easily — passed in New York and Virginia. […]

Victory for Free Speech: Christopher Newport University Revises Demonstration Policy

September 26, 2012

Last week, Christopher Newport University (CNU) censored student speech by preventing a student group, the Feminist Alliance, from protesting a campus appearance by Vice Presidential candidate Representative Paul Ryan. (Another group, the Gay-Straight Student Union, canceled its protest shortly thereafter.) Yesterday, in a welcome development, CNU President Paul Trible admitted his institution’s error and announced a dramatic revision of his university’s policies governing student expression. CNU University Counsel William Thro informed FIRE of the policy revision in a letter yesterday evening.   As described here on The Torch yesterday, the controversy over the university’s “Demonstration” policy began last week when […]

FIRE Asks Christopher Newport University to Respect Student Protest, Repeal Free Speech Zone

September 25, 2012

In a letter sent yesterday, FIRE asked Christopher Newport University (CNU) President Paul Trible to immediately rescind restrictions on student demonstrations that prevented student groups from protesting a speech by Vice Presidential candidate Representative Paul Ryan last week. CNU’s indefensible decision silenced core political speech on a public university campus during election season—a deeply disappointing result.  Here are the facts, as outlined in our letter: On September 18, 2012, Representative Ryan spoke at a rally at CNU’s Ferguson Center for the Arts. According to The Daily Press, this visit was not publicly announced until Sunday, September 16. After learning of […]

Democracy on a Ten-Day Delay?

September 24, 2012

As the presidential election season accelerates rapidly both on and off campus, yet another story provides ample evidence of the folly of over-regulating student speech. Last Tuesday, Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Paul Ryan visited the public Christopher Newport University (CNU) in Virginia to deliver an address. In the midst of a contentious campaign, one would think that a university would provide space for debate on all sides … right? Unfortunately, students who wished to protest Ryan’s speech were told that they had missed the 10-day window for registering their event and would be unable to demonstrate. According to the CNU Student […]