Miami University of Ohio

Institutional Diversity: Bias Incident Reporting

Speech Code Category: Policies on Bias and Hate Speech
Last updated: August 8, 2018

The Bias Incident Reporting Form provides the entire Miami University community a mechanism for reporting incidents involving acts of hate or bias due to age, ancestry, color, disability, sex or gender identity, pregnancy, national origin, race, religious belief, sexual orientation, military or veteran status.

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Miami University Policy Library: Public Speaking, Leaflet Distribution, and Demonstrations

Speech Code Category: Protest and Demonstration Policies
Last updated: September 24, 2018

Miami University embraces the rights of expression, affiliation, and peaceful assembly. Miami University faculty, staff, and students may express their views by demonstrating peacefully for ideas they wish to make known, and the University will protect these rights. The University has an equal and co-extensive obligation to protect the rights and freedoms of those who choose not to participate. Additionally, the University has a duty to protect its property and to assure the continuation of the University’s teaching, research, administrative, and service functions.

The term “Demonstrations” as used in this policy includes, but is not limited to, picketing, petition circulation, public speech making, rallies, the appearance of public speakers in outdoor areas, mass protest meetings to display group feelings or sentiments. Demonstrations do not include University sponsored Campus Events. Any public speaking, leafletting or demonstration that meets the definition of a Campus Event must also comply with the Campus Event Policy.

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Demonstrations may not impede ingress or egress to the University, any University property, parking lot, building, facility, or event. Thus, demonstrators must stay at least twenty-five (25) feet from the entrance to any University building, property, parking lot, facility or event, including entrances to construction sites.

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Miami University Policy Library: Policy Prohibiting Harassment and Discrimination

Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: August 8, 2018

Harassment: conduct that is based on Protected Class Status that has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with a person’s employment or educational experience or creates an intimidating, hostile, offensive working, educational or living environment.

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Student Conduct: Introduction

Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: August 8, 2018

The Code of Student Conduct at Miami University is intended to foster and protect the central purpose of the University: the free and open exchange of ideas.

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Student Conduct: APPENDIX A. Definitions – Title IX Violations

Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: August 8, 2018

In the educational context, sexual harassment is unwelcome, sex- or gender-based verbal or physical conduct that is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive that it interferes with, denies, or limits an individual’s ability to participate in or benefit from the University’s educational programs and activities.

Sexual Harassment can take two forms: power differentials (quid pro quo) or hostile environment:

Hostile environment in the employment context includes any situation in which there is harassing conduct that is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive that it unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment. Hostile environment in the education context includes any situation in which there is harassing conduct that limits, interferes with, or denies educational benefits or opportunities, from an objective (reasonable person’s) viewpoint.

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Miami University Policy Library: Right of Expression of Students

Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: August 8, 2018

The University believes that the right of expression is as necessary as the right of inquiry and that both must be preserved as essential to the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge and truth. Consequently, students, individually and collectively, may express their views through the normal faculty, administrative, and student channels of communication. Students also may express their views by demonstrating peacefully for causes and concepts they support or oppose, and the University will make every reasonable effort to protect that right.

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Due process legal update

October 3, 2017

Late last month, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) rescinded the April 4, 2011, “Dear Colleague” letter, which required schools to adjudicate sexual misconduct claims under the “preponderance of the evidence” standard and ushered in a climate of aggressive Title IX enforcement in which many schools abandoned critical due process protections for accused students. Since April 2011, at least 188 students accused of sexual misconduct at universities around the country have brought lawsuits alleging that they were unfairly treated in their schools’ adjudication processes. As I’ve noted in the past, these lawsuits typically include one or more […]

Michigan State President Denies Disinvitation Attempt Against George Will

December 11, 2014

George Will, like too many other speakers, is no stranger to requests that he be disinvited from college campuses. In October, students at Scripps College in California successfully petitioned the college to rescind Will’s speaking invitation. Later that month, students and faculty at Miami University of Ohio attempted—and failed—to have Will disinvited from a campus engagement. Fortunately, Michigan State University (MSU) is following Miami University’s lead in standing by its invitation to Will, who is scheduled to speak at the university’s December commencement ceremony. On Tuesday, MSU President Lou Anna Simon responded to student demands that Will’s invitation to speak […]

At Miami University of Ohio, Students Engage in Debate, Not Disinvitation

October 24, 2014

All too often, FIRE’s message—that engaging in meaningful debate with controversial speakers is more useful than censoring them—falls on deaf ears. However, Miami University (OH) bucked the growing disinvitation trend by refusing to rescind its speaking invitation to columnist George Will, despite pressure to do so from students and faculty. By refusing to abandon its commitment to the marketplace of ideas, the university allowed debate to flourish on campus last night. This is welcome news, especially after Scripps College denied its students the opportunity to engage in meaningful debate by disinviting Will in response to his controversial column on sexual […]

Posting Policies Frequently Restrict Student Expression

October 30, 2012

This fall, FIRE is writing a blog series about how schools can reform their problematic speech codes and earn a “green light” rating from FIRE—a distinction currently awarded to just 16 of the more than 400 schools in our Spotlight database, but one we hope to be able to award to many more in the years to come. In this series, we are discussing common problems with campus speech codes, focusing on examples from schools that are just a few small changes away from earning a green light rating. So far, we have examined how universities restrict speech by mandating “civility,” […]

Insensitivity Is Not a Crime

November 7, 2007

At Miami University of Ohio, three student artists are under investigation, apparently with the possibility of punishment, for their pre-approved class project, which included “noose-like ropes” in a piece of art displayed on campus. Some viewers apparently interpreted the art in a way that made them feel offended, reminding them of actual nooses and lynchings. President David Hodge said in a letter to the campus that “I strongly condemn this display and deplore that in this campus community any person would believe this display is in any way acceptable.” Nick Gillespie at Reason.com reflects on the case: I find it […]