School Spotlight
Kent State University
Location:
Kent, Ohio
Type:
Public
Speech Code Rating
Kent State University 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.
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4 – 03.301: Operational procedures and regulations regarding posting
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Posting and Distribution Policies
Last updated: October 14, 2021General posting procedure. The following procedures must be met in order to post on university bulletin boards. The facility curator is responsible for identifying the specific purpose of bulletin boards under their purview. Any posting not fulfilling the following requirements will be removed from the bulletin boar... Read MoreHallways Handbook: Resident Bill of Rights and Responsibilities
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Policies on Tolerance, Respect, and Civility
Last updated: October 14, 2021THE RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF A RESIDENT INCLUDE: … The right to be free from fear of intimidation, physical harm, and emotional harm – and the responsibility to not intimate or harm others. Read More5 – 16.1: Administrative policy and procedures regarding complaints of unlawful discrimination and harassment:
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: October 14, 2021This policy sets forth the expectations and responsibilities for maintaining a safe educational and employment environment free of discrimination and harassment. … Harassment. A form of discrimination. Harassment is defined as action taken without consent, based on a protected category, and either: … Suf... Read MoreCode of Student Conduct: Prohibited Conduct- Harassment
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: October 14, 2021Harassment. a. Threatening or intimidating a person creating a rational fear within that person. b. Engaging in unwanted conduct or repeatedly committing acts directed at another person that would disrupt the educational process. c. Creating a condition that endangers or threatens the health, safety or welfare of an... Read More5 – 16.2: Administrative policy regarding complaints of Title IX sexual harassment
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: October 14, 2021Sexual harassment. Conduct on the basis of sex that satisfies one or more of the following: … Unwelcome conduct determined by a reasonable person to be so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to the university’s education program or activity. Read More
FIRE surveyed roughly 37,000 students at 154 colleges and universities about the climate for free speech at their institutions. In 2021, FIRE released rankings of those schools, based on a number of factors, including openness, tolerance, self-expression, administrative support for free speech, and campus policies, scoring overall speech climate on a scale from 0-100. See the full report on FIRE’s 2021 College Free Speech Rankings for more information.
Rankings / out of 154 colleges surveyed |
|
| Overall Ranking | 85 |
| Ideological Diversity | 33 |
Overall / out of a top score of 100 |
|
| Overall Score | 59.2 |
| Openness | 9.63 |
| Tolerance (Liberals) | 9.46 |
| Tolerance (Conservatives) | 7.9 |
| Administrative Support | 6.19 |
| Comfort | 16.25 |
| Disruptive Conduct | 9.77 |
| Speech Code | YELLOW |
Kent State University: Proposed Restriction on Campus Free Speech Rock
September 24, 2020
Students painted dueling messages on the Kent State free speech rock in August 2020 after protests over the homicide of George Floyd, and some of the messages offended members of the university community. In response, the university stated that it is exploring ways to address offensive expression on the rock, including potentially removing the rock…. Read more
It’s not just a rock: Universities must preserve landmarks for student expression
September 24, 2020
Repainted and papered over, sometimes for decades, free speech rocks, fences, walls, and myriad similar landmarks have long served as outlets for student expression on campuses across the nation. And for an equally long time, students with dueling viewpoints have attempted to make sure their messages on these objects come out on top — including… Read more
Second Amendment event proceeds after court blocks Kent State’s speech tax
November 27, 2018
Liberty Hangout, a gun-rights student group at Kent State University, recently won an injunction against its school’s attempt to impose security fees on the group’s event, titled “Let’s Talk Gun Rights.” The gathering was made possible after a federal judge blocked the university’s requirement that the group front $1,798.40 in security costs prior to hosting… Read more
Kent State Dean Criticizes Campus Speech Policies: ‘Your First Amendment Rights End Where Somebody Else’s Sensitivity Begins’
December 8, 2009
In the enactment, enforcement, and defense of unconstitutional and illiberal campus policies, the dirty work often falls to the various deans of academic and student affairs. Depressingly, FIRE all too often sees administrators who hold disciplinary influence over their students acting on the mistaken idea that students have the right not to be offended or… Read more
Student-Athletes May Face Increased Online Community Restrictions
July 19, 2006
Athletic directors and coaches are the latest group to express concern with online communities like Facebook.com and MySpace.com. At the end of June, Laing Kennedy, the Athletic Director at Kent State University, announced that student athletes must remove their Facebook profiles by August 1. A recent article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which discusses this trend,… Read more