School Spotlight

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale

Location: Carbondale, Illinois
Type: Public
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Speech Code Rating

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale 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

  • Policies of the Board of Trustees of SIU: Discrimination (including sexual harassment) Complaint and Investigation Procedures- Policy on Non-Discrimination and Non-Harassment

    Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
    Last updated: July 6, 2018

    Discriminatory harassment includes, but is not limited to, conduct (oral, written, graphics or physical) directed against any person or group of persons because of race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation including gender identity, marital status, age, physical or mental disability, ... Read More

  • Policies of the Board of Trustees of SIU: Policy on Sexual Harassment

    Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
    Last updated: July 6, 2018

    Sexual Harassment in higher education means any unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or any conduct of a sexual nature, when: … Such conduct has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with a student’s academic performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive ac... Read More

  • Demonstrations: Regulations and Procedures

    Speech Code Category: Protest and Demonstration Policies
    Last updated: July 6, 2018

    Events Within Designated Public Forum Areas Individuals, organizations, and groups of persons seeking to engage in free expression within the designated public forum areas may do so in accordance with the Standards of Respect and Civility in the University Learning Community, as noted above. Area A: The Free Forum A... Read More

  • Student Conduct Code: Harassment

    Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
    Last updated: July 6, 2018

    2.3.5. Harassment 2.3.5.1. Unreasonable Conduct – Intentional conduct, without a legitimate purpose, which both does cause a person distress or fear and would cause a reasonable person distress or fear. No threat or overt act of violence is required for conduct to be unreasonable. 2.3.5.2. Bullying – Any intentional... Read More

  • Student-Operated Media

    Speech Code Category: Other Speech Codes
    Last updated: July 6, 2018

    As a guiding principle for general content, such student-operated media shall strive to maintain relevance to SIUC, its purposes and goals as a university, and the customs, attitudes, and goals of the student body, student staff, and faculty/staff. Read More

  • Student Conduct Code: Standards of Conduct- Offenses Related to Sexual Misconduct

    Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
    Last updated: July 6, 2018

    Sexual Harassment – Any unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual favors, or any conduct of a sexual nature which has the purpose or effect of: a) substantially interfering with a student’s academic performance, ability to participate or benefit from any of the academic, athletic, educational, employment, extra-c... Read More

  • Student Conduct Code: Student Rights and Responsibilities

    Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
    Last updated: July 6, 2018

    All students have the right to engage in a free exchange of ideas. University policies are intended to safeguard the rights of free inquiry, expression and assembly. Read More

  • Southern Illinois University at Carbondale: Free Speech Crisis Over Unconstitutional Policies

    December 17, 2008

    To cover up a free speech crisis on his campus, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale’s chancellor has resorted to deceit. SIUC Chancellor Samuel Goldman called documented claims about SIUC’s unconstitutional policies “baseless,” attacked FIRE in false and misleading public statements, and strongly defended SIUC’s Protest Policy despite actually changing the policy in response to a… Read more

  • Southern Illinois University at Carbondale: Derecognition of Christian Law School Group

    September 13, 2005

    Southern Illinois University’s College of Law became a subject of controversy and lawsuit after it derecognized the Christian Legal Society because CLS refused to allow anyone in its leadership who openly engaged in fornication or homosexuality, which SIU claimed violated its anti-discrimination policies. After a discouraging denial of its motion for preliminary injunction at trial,… Read more

  • Two universities’ responses to cheerleader protests demonstrate need for principled student-athlete speech policies

    September 18, 2018

    In late August, Southern Illinois University rescinded a restrictive student-athlete speech policy it passed in response to its cheerleaders kneeling during a national anthem before a football game. About a week later, cheerleaders at Kennesaw State University sued their school for prohibiting them from engaging in the same expressive conduct. This lawsuit, and SIU’s waffling… Read more

  • SIUC’s Sexual Harassment Policy Badly Needs Revision

    April 8, 2010

    "The mistakes in Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s sexual harassment policy," my colleague Azhar says in a letter published in yesterday’s Daily Egyptian student newspaper, "are much worse than what could be attributed to minor oversight or simple misunderstanding." Coming in the wake of deeply controversial prosecutions of two professors for sexual harassment—which led to lawsuits, a… Read more

  • February 2009: Southern Illinois University at Carbondale

    February 5, 2009

    FIRE announces its Speech Code of the Month for February 2009: Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). Followers of FIRE’s work are likely familiar with the ongoing controversy at SIUC. FIRE, along with the heads of the Illinois Association of Scholars and the ACLU of Southern Illinois, recently wrote to SIUC Chancellor Sam Goldman regarding… Read more

  • At SIUC, Faculty, Graduate Student, and Staff Unions Push Back Against Proposed Sexual Harassment Policy

    January 21, 2009

    Torch readers have heard a lot about Southern Illinois University–Carbondale (SIUC) lately, and with good reason. Although Chancellor Samuel Goldman won’t admit as much, SIUC has been embroiled in a free speech crisis of sorts as of late, as we described in our press release last week. To recap quickly, there are three free speech… Read more

  • Rights in the News: Controversy at Southern Illinois Ignites FIRE’s 2009 Efforts

    January 16, 2009

    Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC) Chancellor Samuel Goldman and his administration have been a veritable one-stop shop for newsworthy content lately, as followers of The Torch this week are no doubt aware. In one of three articles penned by Adam Testa for the Southern Illinoisan, Goldman referred to FIRE as "embarrassing" SIUC into defending… Read more

  • SIUC Administrators Hypocritically Ask FIRE to “Reserve Judgment”

    January 15, 2009

    Southern Illinois University at Carbondale’s administrators can’t make up their minds. One day Chancellor Samuel Goldman is blasting FIRE in the media, calling us an "embarrassing" organization making "baseless" claims regarding SIUC’s free speech policies. The next, university spokesman Rod Sievers is claiming that the policy in the student handbook had been in error and… Read more

  • SIUC ‘Daily Egyptian’ on FIRE’s Press Release

    January 15, 2009

    The Daily Egyptian, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale’s (SIUC’s) student newspaper, ran an article Tuesday night covering FIRE’s press release on the ongoing free speech controversy at SIUC. Overall, the article was a comprehensive and fair treatment of the issues—a pleasant surprise in the wake of the Egyptian‘s editorial earlier Tuesday blasting FIRE and defending… Read more

  • Deceit at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale as Chancellor Tries to Cover Up Free Speech Crisis

    January 13, 2009

    To cover up a free speech crisis on his campus, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale’s chancellor has resorted to deceit. SIUC Chancellor Samuel Goldman called documented claims about SIUC’s unconstitutional policies "baseless," attacked FIRE in false and misleading public statements, and strongly defended SIUC’s Protest Policy despite actually changing the policy in response to a… Read more

  • Attention, Chancellor Goldman: Here’s Why SIUC is a “Red Light” School

    January 13, 2009

    In an article in today’s Southern Illinoisan, Southern Illinois University–Carbondale (SIUC) Chancellor Samuel Goldman attacks FIRE for our recent letter challenging the university’s free speech zone. As we will be explaining here in detail on The Torch via several upcoming posts over the next several days, Goldman’s comments to the Illinoisan are fraught with errors,… Read more

  • Deceit at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale as Chancellor Tries to Cover Up Free Speech Crisis

    January 13, 2009

    CARBONDALE, Ill., January 13, 2009—To cover up a free speech crisis on his campus, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale’s chancellor has resorted to deceit. SIUC Chancellor Samuel Goldman called documented claims about SIUC’s unconstitutional policies “baseless,” attacked the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) in false and misleading public statements, and strongly defended SIUC’s… Read more

  • Letter to FIRE from Southern Illinois University Carbondale Chancellor Samuel Goldman

    January 7, 2009

  • FIRE Letter to Southern Illinois University Carbondale Chancellor Samuel Goldman Regarding Speech Policies

    December 22, 2008

    December 22, 2008 Interim Chancellor Samuel Goldman Southern Illinois University – Carbondale Office of the Chancellor Carbondale, IL 62901-6899 Sent by U.S. Mail and Facsimile (618-453-5362) Dear Interim Chancellor Goldman: We write to you today because we are deeply concerned about the unconstitutionally restrictive speech policies of Southern Illinois University – Carbondale (SIUC). The university’s… Read more

  • Southern Illinois University–Carbondale Faculty Senate Assails Proposed Sexual Harassment Policy over Abridgement of Rights

    October 17, 2008

    The faculty outcry against the administration at Southern Illinois University–Carbondale (SIUC) over its sexual harassment policy continues. Torch readers will remember that the administration’s mistreatment of two faculty members—in violation of their due process rights, to say the least—led to a number of lawsuits along with, it seems, the death of one of the faculty… Read more

  • More Individual Rights Issues at Southern Illinois University–Carbondale

    October 2, 2008

    It seems that the troubles facing SIUC regarding individual rights keep getting worse instead of better. First, SIUC officials caused a local uproar, as well as some lawsuits, over the dismissal of two longtime faculty members in travesties of due process. Both professors had been told they had violated the university’s sexual harassment policy. One… Read more

  • SIUC Sexual Harassment Policy Debate Rages On

    September 12, 2008

    In the wake of two high-profile cases of alleged sexual harassment at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC)—and the two high-profile lawsuits that soon followed—the campus has been roiled in debate over the school’s sexual harassment policy, which faculty members have been trying to amend for years to no avail. Unfortunately, an article published this… Read more

  • Another Lawsuit at SIUC over Sexual Harassment Allegations

    September 10, 2008

    Last month I wrote about two disturbing cases of alleged sexual harassment by longtime professors at Southern Illinois University–Carbondale (SIUC). One professor passed away partly because of the stress caused by SIUC’s handling of the allegations, and the other is now suing SIUC. The charges against the second professor, renowned scientist Cal Meyers, were only… Read more

  • Professor Donald Downs Discusses ‘Religion in the University’

    June 18, 2007

    Last Monday, University of Wisconsin at Madison Professor Donald A. Downs had an interesting post at the National Association of Scholars forum, “Religion and the University.” Professor Downs divides the history of the American university into three eras: the proprietary, the liberal, and the post-liberal. The proprietary university, to use the American Association of University… Read more

  • An Important Victory for Freedom of Association at Southern Illinois University

    May 23, 2007

    Today, Southern Illinois University (SIU) settled a case where it refused to recognize a new student organization, the Christian Legal Society, because its membership policies conflicted with the school’s non-discrimination regulations. The case, in which FIRE filed an amicus brief on behalf of the Christian Legal Society, produced an important opinion from the 7th Circuit Court… Read more

  • Understanding the SIU Decision

    July 17, 2006

    Last week, a federal appeals court ordered Southern Illinois University’s (SIU’s) School of Law to grant the campus Christian Legal Society the basic right to exclude students who do not share (or demonstrate that they do not share) the core beliefs of the group. Unfortunately, in too many media outlets this case has been explained… Read more

  • Status vs. Belief

    July 14, 2006

    On Monday, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the right of the Christian Legal Society (CLS), a Christian student group, to choose its membership on the basis of a commitment to Christian faith and practice. In its decision, the court drew a critical distinction that FIRE has stressed for years: the distinction between status… Read more

  • Crucial Victory for Freedom of Religion and Association at Southern Illinois University

    July 11, 2006

    Check out today’s release on the important court victory at Southern Illinois University:  Yesterday, a federal appeals court ordered Southern Illinois University’s (SIU’s) School of Law to grant a Christian student group the same rights as secular student groups on its campus. The court ordered a preliminary injunction requiring the school to recognize the group… Read more

  • Federal Court Orders Southern Illinois University to Recognize Christian Group

    July 11, 2006

    CARBONDALE, Ill., July 11, 2006—Yesterday, a federal appeals court ordered Southern Illinois University’s (SIU’s) School of Law to grant a Christian student group the same rights as secular student groups on its campus. The court ordered a preliminary injunction requiring the school to recognize the group and sent the case back to the lower court… Read more

  • Good News from the Seventh Circuit

    August 23, 2005

    Yesterday the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit issued an order granting the Christian Legal Society’s request that Southern Illinois University restore CLS to the status of registered student organization. Southern Illinois University had revoked CLS’s recognition because CLS had the audacity to request that leaders and voting members of the organization… Read more

  • ‘Feeling the Chill’

    May 3, 2005

    Check out this excellent editorial from the Daily Egyptian, the student newspaper of Southern Illinois University. The paper is responding to a recent controversy: A professor chose a controversial account of a series of race-related murders in California as option reading for a history course, which provoked outrage among other faculty members. After much public… Read more