School Spotlight
State University of New York – Oswego
Speech Code Rating
Student Handbook: Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct- Conduct Subject to Disciplinary Action
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: May 18, 2020The College will take disciplinary action against a student or student organization when it is required by law to do so, or when the nature of the conduct: Interferes with or is disruptive to the learning environment, College process or activities, and/or educational interests and mission of the College, or Endang... Read MoreStudent Handbook: Compliance- Bias Crimes and Prevention
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Policies on Bias and Hate Speech
Last updated: May 18, 20208. In addition to preventing and prosecuting hate/bias crimes, the College addresses biasrelated acts that do not rise to the level of a crime. It is the position of the College that bias-related incidents include acts that are motivated by bias, but may not meet the necessary elements required to prove a crime. The... Read MoreResidence Hall Handbook: The Residence Hall Community- A Community of Similarities & Differences
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Policies on Tolerance, Respect, and Civility
Last updated: May 18, 2020Residence life staff support the belief that respect for individual and group differences is an appropriate expectation to place on resident students and when individuals act in a manner which shows disregard for the feelings of others, staff are trained and expected to intervene. Read MoreResidence Hall Handbook: Disruptive Behavior
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: May 18, 2020Disruptive behavior including: 1) harassment or creating a hostile environment through discrimination, intimidation, ridicule, or insult toward any person; 2) acts of bias targeted toward a person or group … Read MoreStudent Handbook: Sexual and Interpersonal Violence Prevention/Policies/Procedures
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: May 18, 2020Sexual harassment is unwelcome, gender-based verbal or physical conduct that is sufficiently severe, persistent or pervasive that it unreasonably interferes with, denies or limits someone’s ability to participate in or benefit from the university’s educational program and/or activities, and is based on power differe... Read MoreStudent Handbook: Computer and Library Use- Computer Use
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Internet Usage Policies
Last updated: May 18, 2020Campus network resources may not be used to defame, harass, intimidate or threaten. Read MoreStudent Handbook: Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct- Bill of Rights
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: May 18, 2020Free inquiry, expression and assembly are guaranteed to all students. Read More
State University of New York College at Oswego: Student Suspended for Emails to Hockey Coaches
October 26, 2012
In October 2012, exchange student Alexander Myers was suspended and ordered to vacate his campus residence after emails he sent were alleged to “defame, harass, intimidate, or threaten another individual or group.” Myers had contacted three area hockey coaches as research for a class assignment he was writing on SUNY Oswego men’s hockey coach Ed… Read more
SUNY Oswego Paper to Student Body: ‘Test Free Speech on Campus’
February 14, 2014
FIRE supporters know that we’ve roundly criticized the State University of New York at Oswego’s troubled relationship with the First Amendment. Not only does SUNY Oswego earn a “red light” rating in FIRE’s Spotlight database for its unconstitutional speech codes, but the university was responsible for one of the more shocking abuses of free speech… Read more
The 10 Worst Colleges for Free Speech: 2013
December 27, 2013
College is where inquisitive minds go to be exposed to new ways of thinking. But on some campuses, the quest for knowledge is frustrated when administrators censor speech they would prefer be kept out of the marketplace of ideas. To close out the year, we at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) want to highlight… Read more
SUNY Oswego Inappropriately Cites FERPA in Refusing to Disclose Discipline Information
November 18, 2013
The Student Press Law Center (SPLC) reported last Wednesday that the State University of New York at Oswego (SUNY Oswego) is denying requests from student newspaper The Oswegonian for information about conduct violations by Greek organizations, citing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). FERPA is meant to ensure the privacy of students’ educational records, but colleges and universities often… Read more
Four Key Points About Free Speech and the Feds’ ‘Blueprint’
July 15, 2013
It’s been more than two months since FIRE and the higher ed community were shocked by a letter issued jointly by the Departments of Education and Justice to the University of Montana. FIRE staff have blogged extensively about the Departments’ “blueprint” for campus sexual harassment in the last 10 weeks, but there are four crucial points that I… Read more
SUNY Oswego Victory Makes Media Splash
November 20, 2012
Earlier this month, FIRE exposed a shocking case at the State University of New York College at Oswego (SUNY Oswego), where a student was suspended and ordered to vacate campus simply for writing emails. Alexander Myers, an exchange student from Australia, contacted three hockey coaches from other institutions, as research for a class assignment he… Read more
SUNY Oswego Journalism Student Suspended for Emails to Hockey Coaches
November 9, 2012
As FIRE has copiously documented in recent years, universities around the country have shown a dangerous tendency to conflate protected speech with unprotected true threats. The latest case in point comes from the State University of New York College at Oswego (SUNY Oswego), which leveled charges against a journalism student for writing a few short… Read more
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