School Spotlight
Kent State University
Speech Code Rating
4 – 03.301: Operational procedures and regulations regarding posting
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Posting and Distribution Policies
Last updated: September 29, 2020General 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: September 29, 2020THE 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 – 16.2: Administrative policy regarding complaints of Title IX sexual harassment
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: September 29, 2020Sexual 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 More5 – 16: University policy regarding unlawful discrimination and harassment
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: September 29, 2020Unlawful harassment. Includes intimidation, ridicule or insults that are sufficiently severe, pervasive or persistent as to interfere with or limit the ability of an individual to participate in or benefit from the services, activities or privileges provided by the University; creates an intimidating, hostile or... Read More5 – 16: University policy regarding unlawful discrimination and harassment- Gender discrimination and harassment
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: September 29, 2020Sexual harassment is defined as: (i) Unfavorable or unwelcome treatment; and (ii) Made without consent; and (iii) Is severe or pervasive; and (iv) Has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s employment or academic performance; or (v) Creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive... Read MoreCode of Student Conduct: Prohibited Conduct- Harassment
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: September 29, 2020Harassment. 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 More
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