School Spotlight
Mississippi State University
Location:
Mississippi State, Mississippi
Type:
Public
Speech Code Rating
Mississippi State University has been given the speech code rating Green. Green light institutions are those colleges and universities whose policies nominally protect free speech.
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OP 03.04: Sexual Misconduct
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: November 19, 2021Sexual Harassment is unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that is sufficiently severe, pervasive, or persistent and objectively offensive that it denies or limits or is likely to deny or limit a reasonable person’s ability to participate in or benefit from university programs, services, opportunities or activitie... Read MorePolicy 3.03: Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: October 20, 2021Harassment is unwelcome conduct based on a protected status that is sufficiently severe, pervasive, or persistent and objectively offensive that it denies or limits, or is likely to deny or limit a reasonable person’s ability to participate in or benefit from University programs, services, opportunities, or activiti... Read MoreOP 03.04: Sexual Misconduct- Title IX Sexual Harassment
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: October 20, 2021Title IX Sexual Harassment is defined as conduct on the basis of sex that falls within one or more of the following categories: … Hostile Environment Harassment occurs when conduct on the basis of sex is sufficiently severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive, as determined by a reasonable person, that it ef... Read MoreUse of Information Technology Resources
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Internet Usage Policies
Last updated: October 20, 2021Examples of inappropriate and unacceptable use of IT resources include, but are not limited to: … Using IT resources to harass or threaten others … Read MoreSTUDENT AFFAIRS OP 91.304: Free Speech and Assembly Policy
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Protest and Demonstration Policies
Last updated: October 20, 2021The university will protect the rights of freedom of speech, expression, petition, and peaceful assembly and affirms all rights and freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution of the United States. … Mississippi State University provides forums for the expression of ideas and opinions, such as the following: 1.... Read MoreHousing and Residence Life: Policies & Procedures- Posting Policies
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Posting and Distribution Policies
Last updated: October 20, 2021Content Disclaimer: The advertisement, posters, flyers, notices, signs or banners should adhere to all university policies and state and federal laws. Promoting the use of alcohol and/or illegal substances is also prohibited. It may not include any reference to or support of violations to the code of student conduct... 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 | 16 |
| Ideological Diversity | 4 |
Overall / out of a top score of 100 |
|
| Overall Score | 65.06 |
| Openness | 8.8 |
| Tolerance (Liberals) | 8.05 |
| Tolerance (Conservatives) | 8.64 |
| Administrative Support | 6.47 |
| Comfort | 16.85 |
| Disruptive Conduct | 10.25 |
| Speech Code | GREEN |
Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning: Tenure Review Considers “Effectiveness in Communications,” “Collegiality”
April 27, 2022
On April 21, 2022, the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees, which oversees eight Mississippi public universities, amended its tenure review process to grant university presidents the authority to award tenure and to include “effectiveness … and integrity in communications” and “collegiality” as mandatory criteria for consideration. On April 27, FIRE and PEN America… Read more
FIRE, PEN America, condemn new rule forcing some Mississippi universities to consider ‘collegiality’ in tenure review
April 27, 2022
FIRE and PEN America wrote the board of the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning today to object to a new rule that forces presidents at eight of the state’s public universities to consider vague standards like “collegiality” when granting faculty tenure. The rule, quietly adopted last Thursday, says college presidents at IHL universities “shall take… Read more
Tensions Rise, But Mississippi State Administrators Stand by Free Speech
October 23, 2015
Administrators at Mississippi State University (MSU) offered the rest of the country a lesson in upholding free speech last week when an off-campus group with an anti-gay message clashed with gay rights supporters on campus. The Reflector, MSU’s student paper, reported yesterday that tensions between Consuming Fire Fellowship, a Mississippi-based Christian group, and student members… Read more
Why Mississippi State’s Harassment Policy Earns a ‘Green Light’
December 27, 2013
In a new series here on The Torch, FIRE will be examining some of the best “green light” university policies out there. These policies illustrate how colleges and universities can uphold the First Amendment on campus while still preventing unlawful and actionable conduct. Today, we take a look at how Mississippi State University’s harassment policy protects students’ free speech rights… Read more
‘The College Fix’ Covers New “Green Light” Schools
September 28, 2012
This year FIRE was proud to add two new schools to our list of institutions that have “green light” policies for free speech: Mississippi State and the University of Mississippi. We also were happy to add both of those schools to our Seven Best Schools for Free Speech list published in The Huffington Post last month…. Read more
Mississippians Celebrate Free Speech on State Campuses
September 12, 2012
Mississippi news outlets continue to celebrate the state’s good record for freedom of speech on its flagship campuses, with both Ole Miss and Mississippi State listed among the top seven colleges for free speech on campus by FIRE. The Dispatch is the latest to remark upon the Magnolia State’s high ranking for freedom of speech,… Read more
‘Starkville Daily News’ on Mississippi State’s Green Light
July 11, 2012
The Starkville Daily News of Starkville, Mississippi, draws attention to Mississippi State University’s success in becoming the latest "green light" school in FIRE’s Spotlight database. Not only does MSU’s commendable compliance with the First Amendment match the work done by rival Ole Miss earlier this year, we also hope it encourages many other colleges nationwide… Read more
Mississippi State University Earns ‘Green Light’ Rating
June 19, 2012
STARKVILLE, Miss., June 19, 2012—Free speech is the rule at Mississippi State University (MSU), which no longer maintains any policies restricting student speech protected by the First Amendment. MSU now holds the highest, "green light," rating for free speech from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). While the overwhelming majority of the nation’s… Read more
FIRE Speaker at Miss. State Conference This Week
May 2, 2012
This Thursday, FIRE’s Director of Legal and Public Advocacy, Will Creeley, will be one of the featured speakers at a Legal Issues Conference to be held at Mississippi State University. The conference, co-sponsored by Mississippi State University, Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL), and the National Center for Higher Education Risk Management (NCHERM), will discuss… Read more
In Mississippi, ‘The Clarion-Ledger’ Reports on Dangers of State Colleges’ Speech Codes
August 16, 2010
In today’s edition of The Clarion-Ledger, the Jackson, Mississippi newspaper reports on speech codes maintained at public colleges statewide. Spurred by FIRE’s recent victory at nearby Hinds Community College, reporter Elizabeth Crisp writes: Students at Mississippi universities may have to watch what they say more than those in other states because of policies that free-speech… Read more