School Spotlight

Portland State University

Location: Portland, Oregon
Type: Public

Speech Code Rating

Portland 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

  • Prohibited Discrimination & Harassment Policy

    Speech Code Rating: Red
    Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
    Last updated: October 1, 2018

    Discriminatory Harassment: Discriminatory Harassment means verbal comments, graphic or written statements, or physical conduct by a student, faculty, staff, or other PSU community member based on a Protected Class or Protected Classes that is so severe, persistent or pervasive that it interferes with or limits a stu... Read More

  • Student Code of Conduct: Harassment

    Speech Code Rating: Yellow
    Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
    Last updated: October 1, 2018

    Harassment is a course of conduct directed at a specific individual or individuals that causes or is intended to cause emotional or physical distress and serves no legitimate purpose. Read More

  • Bias Response Team

    Speech Code Rating: Yellow
    Speech Code Category: Policies on Bias and Hate Speech
    Last updated: October 1, 2018

    What is Bias? Bias is a state of mind, tendency, or inclination that impacts our behaviors and perceptions of others (either positively or negatively) based upon preconceived notions. Bias against others can occur intentionally or unintentionally. It can be directed toward an attitude, an individual, or group regard... Read More

  • Housing Handbook: Civility

    Speech Code Rating: Yellow
    Speech Code Category: Bullying Policies
    Last updated: October 1, 2018

    Civility Abusive or adverse treatment of residents, guests, or staff members, or any behavior that results in a hostile work, living, or academic environment is prohibited. Many behaviors or actions could warrant conduct action, such as harassment, bullying, etc. Such behaviors that constitute a potential violation ... Read More

  • Housing Handbook: Bias Related Behavior

    Speech Code Rating: Yellow
    Speech Code Category: Policies on Bias and Hate Speech
    Last updated: October 1, 2018

    Bias incidents are behaviors/actions directed towards an individual or group based upon actual or perceived identity characteristics or background (e.g., skin color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, national origin, gender identity and expression, age, or physical, mental, or emotional disability)... Read More

  • Campus police no match for heckler with cowbell who hijacked speech at Portland State

    March 12, 2019

    Police officers let a disruptive protester derail a College Republicans event It’s not the first time: In January, campus police preemptively cancelled a meeting of a student socialist group after a vocal political activist said he would show up Take Action: Tell PSU leaders they must uphold the First Amendment and protect campus expression PORTLAND,… Read more

  • ‘Sokal Squared’ hoax paper prof facing discipline for not having research reviewed by institutional review board

    January 8, 2019

    Portland State University professor Peter Boghossian, who was one of the three participants in the project commonly known as “Sokal Squared” or the “Grievance Studies Affair” last year in which several academic journals were fooled into publishing fabricated papers, is now facing discipline for his involvement. On Saturday, his collaborators, James Lindsay and Helen Pluckrose,… Read more

  • More Campus Leaders Address Free Speech Following Election

    November 21, 2016

    For the past few months, we’ve been covering the statements campus leaders make about free speech at their colleges or universities. In the weeks following this month’s presidential election, campus leaders have addressed their students’ reactions to the results in various ways—some “good,” and others “bad” for freedom of expression. The Good Central Washington University… Read more

  • Oregon Appeals Court Rules for Student Expelled for Purported Threat

    October 4, 2016

    Four years ago, FIRE reported on the case of Henry Liu, a former graduate student who was expelled from Portland State University (PSU) for purportedly threatening to shoot two faculty members. On September 28, the Court of Appeals of the State of Oregon ruled that in the adjudicative hearing that resulted in Liu’s expulsion, PSU… Read more

  • Portland State University Admins Demonstrate Support for Controversial Student Speech

    June 13, 2013

    The Portland State Vanguard reported last week on a controversy at Portland State University (PSU) between PSU’s College Republicans and the school’s Muslim Students Association (MSA). The MSA and other students criticized two events sponsored by the College Republicans in May—a visiting speaker’s lecture and a movie screening—as being anti-Islam, and they asked the PSU… Read more

  • Associated Press and ‘Oregonian’: Portland State Student Expelled for Alleged “Threat”

    July 27, 2012

    This week, FIRE was quoted in two newspaper articles covering the story of a Portland State University graduate student, Henry Liu, who was expelled from the university last month for allegedly constituting a campus threat. As The Oregonian reports, Liu was expelled for allegedly expressing frustration about a faculty member to a classmate and mentioning firearms in… Read more

  • Victory: Portland State University Rescinds Charges Against Student over Phone Call with Employee

    October 17, 2011

    I’m pleased to announce that Portland State University (PSU) student Rachel Cain’s record has been wiped clean after she was initially found guilty of charges of "disruption" and "failure to comply" due to the content of a telephone conversation between Cain and an employee of PSU’s library system. Her case—like others we’ve seen at FIRE—is… Read more