McNeese State University
Location: Lake Charles, Louisiana
Website: http://www.mcneese.edu
Type: Public
Federal Circuit: 5th Circuit
Speech Code Rating
McNeese State University has been given the speech code rating Red. A red light university has at least one policy that both clearly and substantially restricts freedom of speech. Read more here.
Red Light Policies
Equity and Inclusion Policy
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: August 30, 2018The use of any term or the commission of any act that is sexually derogatory or discriminatory will not be tolerated.
Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources Policy
Speech Code Category: Internet Usage Policies
Last updated: March 1, 2018Users are reminded to exercise appropriate language, behavior, and style in their use of IT resources.
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Users found to have violated this policy may be subject to the following:
- Suspension of access to IT resources
- Penalties and disciplinary action, including expulsion or dismissal
- Referral of suspected violations of law to appropriate law enforcement agencies for further investigation or action
Anti-Bullying Policy
Speech Code Category: Bullying Policies
Last updated: March 1, 2018McNeese State University defines bullying as “engaging in actions which cause another person to experience a reasonable fear that he or she will experience unauthorized social exclusion, humiliation, intimidation, or the unlawful use of physical force.”
The purpose of this policy is to communicate to all supervisors, employees, and students, that McNeese State University will not tolerate bullying behavior. Should it be determined that there is a violation of this policy, the individual in question faces possible disciplinary action.
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Bullying may be intentional or unintentional. However, it must be noted that where an allegation of bullying is made, the intention of the alleged bully is irrelevant, and will not be given consideration when appropriate disciplinary action is needed. As in sexual harassment, it is the effect of the behavior upon the individual-especially the establishment of fear that a reasonable person would experience-which is important. McNeese State University considers the following types of behavior examples of bullying:- Verbal Bullying: slandering, ridiculing or maligning a person or his/her family; persistent name calling which is hurtful, insulting or humiliating; using a person as the butt of jokes; remarks that would be viewed by others in the community as abusive and offensive; persistently interrupting another person or otherwise preventing another person’s legitimate attempts to speak; use of nicknames after being warned that the nickname is considered by the victim to be offensive; constant criticism on matters unrelated to a person’s job performance or description or on matters that cannot be documented;
- Physical Bullying: pushing; shoving; kicking; poking; tripping; assault, or threat of physical assault; damage to a person’s work area or property
- Gesture Bullying: non-verbal threatening gestures, such as, but not limited to, the following: approaching another person with fists clinched or with one or more other fighting gestures which could reasonably be interpreted as threatening; brandishing a weapon; making gestures that would reasonably be interpreted as amorous or sexual in nature.
- Social Bullying (which may include Cyber-bullying): engaging in verbal bullying via mail, email, text message, phone, or voicemail; deliberately interfering with mail, email, text messages, phone, voicemail or other communication; spreading malicious rumors or gossip about another person; manipulating the workload of another person in a manner designed to cause that person to fail to perform his or her legitimate functions; inflicting menial tasks on an employee not in keeping with the employee’s normal responsibilities.
Placement of Printed Materials on Campus Policy
Speech Code Category: Posting and Distribution Policies
Last updated: September 17, 2018To insure that McNeese State University maintains an attractive campus appearance and protects the rights of all campus organizations and individuals as well as University property, the following rules relating to the posting of all printed materials (papers, signs, posters, and banners of any type) on campus are to be observed:
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The University reserves the right to remove any printed materials that have become damaged, are not posted properly, are not posted on an authorized surface, or materials that would cause embarrassment or discredit to the University.
Student Handbook: Code of Student Conduct
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: March 1, 2018Abuse—Physical or mental abuse or the threat thereof against any person (s) which threatens or endangers the health or safety of any such person (s).
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Harassment—Mental, emotional, sexual or verbal harassment. Mental, emotional, sexual, cyber, written or verbal harassment, including that of committed by or against persons involved in any aspect of student disciplinary proceedings.
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Disrespect—Failure to observe appropriate decorum and demonstrate proper conduct toward campus officials acting in the scope of their duty.
Sexual Misconduct Policy
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: March 1, 2018Sexual Harassment: Unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature when … such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with a person’s employment or education, or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive employment or educational environment, and has no legitimate relationship to the subject matter of a course or academic research.
Public Forum Regulations Policy
Speech Code Category: Protest and Demonstration Policies
Last updated: March 1, 2018As a publicly-supported institution within the University of Louisiana System, McNeese State University values the publicly accessible nature of its campus and facilities and embraces the free and open exchange of ideas in the context of a diverse community of teachers and learners. … [T]he University strongly encourages its students, faculty, and staff to engage in vigorous and collegial debate and discussion within the context of classroom instruction, formal and informal interactions with others, and in social interactions throughout the campus. University students and employees may freely communicate their ideas through the exchange of verbal and written communications and through formal and informal gatherings on the campus at any time and are encouraged to do so in a manner that does not interfere with the University’s capacity to administer its core values of teaching and learning, research, public service, and student success.
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Unfree Speech on Campus
December 12, 2014
at The Wall Street Journal Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky famously postulated that the test of a free society is the ability to express opinions in the town square without fear of reprisal. Most American colleges wouldn’t pass that test, according to a new report by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (Fire). The foundation reports that 55% of the 437 colleges it surveyed this year maintain “severely restrictive” policies that “clearly and substantially prohibit protected speech.” They include 61 private schools and 180 public colleges. Incredibly, this represents progress from Fire’s survey seven years ago when 75% of colleges maintained restrictive […]
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Campus Alert: Stifling speech
July 9, 2007
The island nation of Singapore has a reputation for zealously regulating the daily life of its citizens. It has banned chewing gum and levies stiff fines for failure to flush public toilets. And when it comes to free speech, Singaporeans must use a heavily restricted “Speakers’ Corner” and limit their discourse to uncontroversial topics—and only then after registering with the local police station. Pretty un-American, right? Not so fast. Shockingly, public universities across this country are taking their cues on regulating student speech from Singapore’s repressive civic culture. For example, speech at McNeese State in Louisiana is governed by the […]
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Freedom rules
July 8, 2007
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education at www.thefire.org wants you to know that McNeese State University has announced it “embraces the free and open exchange of ideas.”As long as the student speaks in one of two zones, no more than once a week for a maximum of two hours, during daylight hours but not on weekends, with a permit obtained at least 72 hours in advance.
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Speech Code of the Month: McNeese State University
September 6, 2018
A common misstep FIRE encounters in college speech codes is the inclusion of more than one definition of a particular type of misconduct within a single policy. These policies typically provide a broad and speech-restrictive definition of the term, followed by a more reasonable definition. Regardless of whether the broader definition is applied in practice, its inclusion in the policy is confusing and creates a potential chilling effect on expression. After all, students reading these policies are forced to assume they could be enforced, and they may reasonably fear punishment over something as simple as telling a classmate a joke. […]
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McNeese State Revises ‘Public Forum’ Policy But Still Prohibits ‘Derogatory’ Speech
May 29, 2009
One of FIRE’s worst Speech Codes of the Month ever—McNeese State University’s “Public Forum” policy—has been updated in another FIRE victory for the freedoms of speech and association. The policy now clarifies that students on campus enjoy the freedom to protest and demonstrate, a freedom to which they are legally and morally entitled. Long time Torch readers may remember the original policy from July 2007, when we first highlighted it as our Speech Code of the Month. As we wrote at the time, This public university in Louisiana maintains a set of “Public Forum Regulations” that quarantine free speech to […]
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Today’s ‘Campus Alert’: Stifling Speech
July 9, 2007
Check out today’s Campus Alert in the New York Post, where we highlight similarities between Singapore’s overly zealous regulation of public life and the tactics often used by American universities trying to stifle student speech. As Samantha pointed out in a recent blog, to speak freely in Singapore, citizens must use a “Speakers’ Corner”—a small, designated area where available times and topics are limited. Similarly, many American public universities keep “free speech zones” where students’ speech is limited to a designated area for a certain time and often pending administrative approval. As Campus Alert points out: For example, speech at […]
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Speech Code of the Month: McNeese State University
July 3, 2007
FIRE announces its Speech Code of the Month for July 2007: McNeese State University. This public university in Louisiana maintains a set of “Public Forum Regulations” that quarantine free speech to just two areas of campus and place onerous restrictions on the use of those areas. The regulations provide that students may exercise their right to speak and demonstrate—a right guaranteed to students of this public institution by the First Amendment—in just two “zones”: Zone A: The grassy lawn area, surrounded by pavement on all sides, located in the southeast section of the Quad between the Student Union Annex and […]
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American Public Universities Take Cue from Singapore
June 28, 2007
When you think of a place where order takes precedence over liberty, where the government regulates every minute aspect of civil life, you may well think of Singapore. Over the years, Singapore has made the news for everything from caning an American teenager for vandalism to banning chewing gum to fining people for failing to flush public toilets. But if you think Singapore and the United States don’t have much in common, think again. We need only look to that supposed bastion of liberty—the American university—to find common ground. Singapore maintains a Speakers’ Corner (you can see a picture […]
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