School Spotlight
Grand Valley State University
Speech Code Rating
Posting: Approval Requirements
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Posting and Distribution Policies
Last updated: September 17, 2018All posters must have: Name of event, date, time, location (if poster is for an event) Name of organization or department Contact information – Can be a phone number, email address, or website. Posters cannot: Have any promotion or information about the sale or use of alcohol. If you are serving non-alcohol... Read MoreAnti-Harassment Policy
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: September 17, 2018Harassment is unprofessional conduct that could reasonably be understood as (1) having the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment, (2) having the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance or access to educational activities and... Read MoreTeam Against Bias: Our Commitment to Addressing Bias on Campus
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Policies on Bias and Hate Speech
Last updated: September 17, 2018Grand Valley State University strives to create an inclusive and equitable campus community where people are treated with dignity and respect. If anyone in the Grand Valley community feels belittled, disrespected, or isolated based on their identity, there is a mechanism to report the incident (see below). The univ... Read MoreAffirmative Action: Frequently Asked Questions
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: September 17, 2018Sexual harassment, including same-sex sexual harassment, is any unwanted attention of a sexual nature from someone in the workplace or classroom that causes discomfort or interferes with work or academic performance. Sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature... Read MoreFaculty Handbook: Faculty Responsibilities and Workload
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Policies on Tolerance, Respect, and Civility
Last updated: September 17, 2018In keeping with its responsibility to provide a congenial atmosphere in which all students have an equal opportunity to learn, the University disapproves of and seeks to eliminate discriminatory behavior directed against individuals. Such behavior, which may take the form of statements, jokes, examples, and illustra... Read MoreSexual or Gender-Based Harassment (Including Retaliation) Policy
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: September 17, 2018III. Definitions 1) Sexual Harassment is any unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual favors, or other unwanted conduct of a sexual nature, whether verbal, non-verbal, graphic, physical, or otherwise, when the conditions outlined in III.3. below. 2) Gender-Based Harassment includes harassment based on gender, se... Read MoreGrounds and Facility Use Policy
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Protest and Demonstration Policies
Last updated: September 17, 2018University property is primarily dedicated to academic, student life and administrative functions. But it also represents the “marketplace of ideas,” and especially for students, many areas of campus represent a public forum for speech and other Expressive Activities. For students and registered student ... Read More
Grand Valley State University: Suppression of Affirmative Action Bake Sale
April 6, 2005
Students at GVSU were threatened with possible punishment for holding an affirmative action bake sale protest. Complaining students charged the College Republicans with violating a variety of GVSU regulations, most having to do with “discrimination.” FIRE wrote GVSU president Mark Murray to protest the censorship. Unfortunately, under pressure from the administration, the College Republicans chose… Read more
Grand Valley State University abolishes free speech zones in lawsuit settlement
March 6, 2017
Last week, Michigan’s Grand Valley State University confirmed the settlement of a First Amendment lawsuit filed on behalf of students and their student organization challenging allegedly unconstitutional restrictions on their campus free speech rights, including a policy cabining demonstrations to two small free speech zones. Attorneys for Alliance Defending Freedom filed the suit last December… Read more
Admins at ‘Red Light’ Schools Claim to Value Free Speech, But Policies Suggest Otherwise
February 4, 2014
Last month, FIRE released its 2014 report on campus speech codes, which revealed that 59% of the 427 colleges and universities analyzed maintain policies that clearly and substantially restrict constitutionally protected speech. When quizzed recently by student journalists about their institution’s speech codes, administrators at “red light” institutions Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and Grand Valley… Read more
Support Pours in for Grand Valley State Student Journalist Harangued by Administrators
January 17, 2014
We recently brought you the unfortunate story of Grand Valley State University (GVSU) student and Grand Valley Lanthorn student newspaper editor-in-chief Lizzy Balboa, who was beleaguered by campus administrators for publishing an editorial expressing concern that GVSU might be prioritizing donor appeasement over education, free speech rights, and academic freedom. Shockingly, administrators reportedly told Balboa that she was unworthy of her… Read more
Grand Valley State Administrators Attack Newspaper Staff for Criticizing Donor Handling
January 14, 2014
It is no secret that many colleges and universities are heavily reliant on the financial generosity of alumni, and often even large corporate or institutional interests. While this is not itself necessarily problematic, it can serve as a terrible incentive for administrators to stifle speech that might offend financial supporters or otherwise dissuade them from giving. The… Read more
Victory for Freedom of Conscience at Grand Valley State University: Music Department Axes Political Litmus Test
July 28, 2009
Grand Valley State University (GVSU) has promised to remove “demonstrated commitment to the principles of diversity” from the stated job requirements for prospective faculty seeking appointment to GVSU’s Department of Music. The department will restate its requirements in terms of relevant experience, not vaguely worded personal commitments regarding a controversial political issue. The change, which… Read more
Victory for Freedom of Conscience at Grand Valley State University: Music Department Axes Political Litmus Test
July 28, 2009
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., July 28, 2009—Grand Valley State University (GVSU) has promised to remove “demonstrated commitment to the principles of diversity” from the stated job requirements for faculty seeking appointment to GVSU’s Department of Music. The department will restate its requirements in terms of relevant experience, not vaguely worded personal commitments regarding a controversial political… Read more
FIRE Remembers September 11
September 11, 2007
Today, FIRE joins individuals across America and around the world in reflecting upon the tragic events of September 11, 2001. As university students and professors from Maine to California host commemorations today to remember those who suffered and died six years ago, we take a moment to look back at how those events played out… Read more
FIRE Gets Results
April 8, 2005
Today’s FIRE press release celebrates a victory for free speech and expression at Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU), where students were threatened with punishment if they held an affirmative action bake sale protest. If you’re not familiar with these protests, we explain them in our press release, so take a look there. Unfortunately, the victory at… Read more
Bake Sale Battles Continue: FIRE Gains Victory at NEIU, Turns Sights on Grand Valley State University
April 8, 2005
CHICAGO, April 8, 2005—In a victory for free speech on campus, Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) has decided to allow the College Republicans to hold an affirmative action bake sale protest on campus with “no preconditions.” The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) received written confirmation of the change on Wednesday afternoon, less than 36… Read more
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