Residence Life Guide: Harassment and Offensive Behavior

Speech Code Category: Policies on Tolerance, Respect, and Civility
Last updated: December 2, 2015

Residents are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that exemplifies respect for all people and to adhere to personal values without unduly imposing them on others. At no time should members of the community harass, assault, or violate the privacy of other persons. Any act or threat that submits a member of the community to physical or mental pain, discomfort, indignity, or humiliation is strictly prohibited.

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Materials deemed to be offensive are not allowed in any common area in the lodges. These areas include, but are not limited to, apartment doors, exterior of bedroom doors, Great Rooms, items visible and facing out windows, or in any other space that is not the private bedroom of a resident.

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Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct: Right to Freedom from Harassment

Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: December 2, 2015

Sexual harassment is unwelcome conduct or behavior of a sexual nature. Sexual harassment includes sexual violence (see definition). Both violent and non-violent sexual harassment is prohibited. Sexual harassment can include unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal, nonverbal, written, electronic (e.g. by e-mail, text, social media, etc.), or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Sexual harassment occurs when:

1. submission to or rejection of such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a condition of an individual’s employment or academic standing or is used as the basis for employment decisions or for academic evaluation, grades, or advancement (quid pro quo), or when
2. such conduct is sufficiently severe, pervasive or persistent to limit or deny a person’s ability to participate in or benefit from the University’s educational programs or affects employment, creating a hostile environment.

Discriminatory harassment is defined as conduct that targets an individual based upon age, color, religion, disability, race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, or veteran’s status and that adversely affects a term or condition of an individual’s education, housing, or participation in a university activity; or has the purpose or effect of unreasonably creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment for academic pursuits, housing, or participation in university activities.

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Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct: Responsibilities

Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: December 2, 2015

Verbal abuse of another person, including the following:

a. An express or implied threat to:

(1) Interfere with an individual’s personal safety, academic efforts, employment, or participation in university-sponsored activities and that under the circumstances causes the person to have a reasonable apprehension that such harm is about to occur; or

(2) Injure that person, or damage his or her property; or

b. “Fighting words” that are spoken face-to-face as a personal insult to the listener or listeners in personally abusive language inherently likely to provoke a violent reaction by the listener or listeners to the speaker.

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Registered Student Organization Handbook: Cyberbullying Policy

Speech Code Category: Bullying Policies
Last updated: December 2, 2015

Cyberbullying is treated as a form of harassment and intimidation under the IU Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct, Part I., C. While IU Southeast recognizes and encourages freedom of expression, members of the campus community have the right to be free from harassment, conduct that interferes with an individual’s academic performance, or a learning environment that is intimidating, hostile, or offensive. Cyberbullying constitutes conduct that may compromise the security of the university or the integrity of the educational process. We uphold our institutional values when we ensure the highest level of mutual respect and a culture of inclusion and dignity for all.

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Being a victim of cyberbullying can be a common and painful experience. People who cyberbully or cyber stalk: • Pretend they are other people online to trick others • Spread lies and rumors about victims • Trick people into revealing personal information • Send or forward mean text messages • Post pictures of victims without their consent

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Guidelines for Assembly on Campus

Speech Code Category: Protest and Demonstration Policies
Last updated: December 2, 2015

McCullough Plaza is available to any individual or organization for peaceful assembly for the purpose of expressing their views. The plaza is centrally located on campus and receives more foot traffic than any other outdoor space. … Although no reservation is required to use McCullough Plaza, this space may be reserved by organizations that wish to conduct their events on particular dates or times.

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Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct: Right to Freedom of Association, Expression, Advocacy, and Publication

Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: December 2, 2015

In accordance with the state and federal Constitution and university policy, the university recognizes the rights of all students to engage in discussion, to express thoughts and opinions, and to assemble, speak, write, publish or invite speakers on any subject without university interference or fear of university disciplinary action.

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Search and Seizure

August 23, 2016

By Jake New at Inside Higher Ed This fall, for the first time, fraternities and sororities at Indiana University must sign an agreement that would allow university employees, including police officers, to enter and search their houses whenever there is reason to suspect laws or university rules are being broken… Read more here.

View From the Pier: Historical Accuracy vs. Political Correctness

August 12, 2016

By Sunny Shubert at The Herald-Independent  Did you hear about the controversy at UW-Stout?… Read more here.

College Students Were 2012’s Unsung Heroes for Free Speech

January 4, 2013

by Azhar Majeed Policymic   Students at our nation’s colleges and universities won a number of important victories for freedom of speech and the First Amendment over the past year. They vindicated their core expressive rights, fought back against repressive university practices, and taught us all valuable lessons about living in a free society. The victories on campus weren’t limited to instances where student speech was censored or punished in application, however. At a number of institutions, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE, where I work) convinced the administration to proactively protect free speech by reforming illiberal and unconstitutional policies before they […]

Free Speech Codes on Campus: Political correctness run amok?

July 21, 2012

If you thought college was a place for young people to speak out, challenges one another’s deeply-held beliefs and grow intellectually, chances are you’ve never been to Indiana University Southeast. The school, located just 10 miles north of Louisville, Ky., is the latest college to see its speech code come under fire from a group that advocates freedom of speech on campuses. One stipulation in the code requires that students may only “express opinions” within a free speech zone, which is antithetical to what a college should stand for, according to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), an […]

‘Serious infringement’ on student speech called out

July 17, 2012

by Bob Kellogg OneNewsNow   Restrictive speech code policies at the Indiana University, Southeast have earned that school the dubious distinction of being recognized by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) for “Speech Code of the Month.” Samantha Harris of FIRE says the IUS Code of Student Rights, in part, says the university “recognizes the rights of all students to engage in discussion, to express thoughts and opinions, and to assemble, speak, write, publish, or invite speakers on any subject without university interference or fear of university disciplinary action.” But she says their Guidelines Relating to Free Speech are “poorly written and unconstitutional.” “It […]

Speech Code of the Month at Indiana U-Southeast Featured by Fox News

July 23, 2012

FIRE’s Speech Code of the Month at Indiana University Southeast (IUS) was highlighted by FoxNews.com on Friday in an article about campus speech codes.  As quoted in the article, FIRE Senior Vice President Robert Shibley reminds readers of one reason why First Amendment protections on college and university campuses are important: “It’s the price you pay for living in a free society … The entire enterprise of a university is to express scholarly thoughts and opinions.”  Samantha Harris, FIRE’s Director of Speech Code Research, also weighs in, using as an example one particularly troublesome portion of the IUS speech code […]

Speech Code of the Month: Indiana University, Southeast

July 10, 2012

FIRE announces its Speech Code of the Month for July 2012: Indiana University, Southeast (IUS). According to IUS’ Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct, “the university recognizes the rights of all students to engage in discussion, to express thoughts and opinions, and to assemble, speak, write, publish or invite speakers on any subject without university interference or fear of university disciplinary action.” (Emphasis added.) But IUS also maintains “Guidelines Relating to Free Speech” that amount to severe “university interference” with the rights IUS claims to value-rights which, as a public university, IUS is legally bound to uphold. The Guidelines […]

University Nixes Naughty Faxes

June 18, 2008

Every day, I catalog the myriad ways in which universities restrict their students’ free speech rights. As someone who believes deeply in individual liberties, this work can get depressing. Every so often, however, I come across a speech code so ludicrous that it introduces a little levity into my otherwise serious work. Today, I found just such a policy at Indiana University Southeast. IU Southeast maintains a laundry list of behaviors “related to sexual harassment,” including “suggestive or insulting sounds,” “sexist jokes or humor,” and “gender specific insults or comments.” All of these restrictions are constitutionally suspect, since most speech […]