School Spotlight

Tennessee State University
Speech Code Rating
Guideline P-080: Discrimination and Harassment – Complaint and Investigation Procedure
Speech Code Rating: Red
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: April 22, 2021Harassment is conduct that is based on a person’s race, color, religion, creed, ethic or national origin, sex, sexual orientation/gender identity/expression, disability, age, as applicable, status as a covered veteran, genetic information, or any other category protected by federal or state civil rights law, that; &... Read MoreStudent Handbook: Personal Property, Rights, Freedoms, Responsibilities
Speech Code Rating: Red
Speech Code Category: Protest and Demonstration Policies
Last updated: April 22, 2021Tennessee State University assumes the position that dissent, when carried out in the prescribed form (being registered in advance with the Vice President of Student Affairs, in order to ensure that the event is held at an acceptable time and appropriate site), will be protected; on the other hand, disruption in any... Read MoreStudent Handbook: Code of Student Conduct – Disciplinary Offenses
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Policies on Tolerance, Respect, and Civility
Last updated: April 22, 2021Individual or organizational misconduct that is subject to disciplinary sanction shall include, but is not limited to, the following examples: a. Conduct dangerous to others – Any conduct or attempted conduct, which constitutes a serious danger to any person’s health, safety or personal well-being, including, ... Read MoreCampus Living Guide: Community Living Bill of Rights
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Policies on Tolerance, Respect, and Civility
Last updated: April 22, 2021The community bill of rights is a reminder to you of your rights as an individual and your responsibility to your fellow community members: … The right to be free from fear of intimidation, physical and emotional harm. Read MoreStudent Handbook: Joint Statement on Rights and Freedoms of Students
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: April 22, 2021Academic institutions exist for the transmission of knowledge, the pursuit of truth, the development of students, and the general well- being attainment of society. Free inquiry and free expression are indispensable to the attainment of these goals. As members of the academic community, students should be encouraged... Read MorePolicy No. 07.04: Sexual Misconduct
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: April 22, 2021Sexual Harassment: Conduct on the basis of sex that satisfies one (1) or more of the following: … Unwelcome conduct determined by a reasonable person to be so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to TSU’s education program or activity; … Read More
August 2020 Speech Code of the Month: Tennessee State University
August 5, 2020
As colleges gear up for the bulk of their students returning to campus over the next month, they’re making adjustments to current policies governing public gatherings and adopting new ones aimed at mitigating the risk of spreading the coronavirus. Though this is obviously an unprecedented circumstance for these institutions, FIRE’s basic recommendations regarding speech policy… Read more
Tennessee Bill to Punish UT for Sex Week Becomes Law
May 23, 2016
For several years, the Tennessee legislature has threatened to take action against the University of Tennessee (UT) for allowing students to conduct an annual “Sex Week” on campus. Now the state legislature has followed through on its misguided threat by passing HB 2248, which states: State funds shall not be expended by the University of… Read more
College Censorship of Online Speech in 2008
December 23, 2008
This year, FIRE has seen a number of colleges take steps to regulate online speech. The Internet makes it easier than ever for people to communicate with one another, and thus presents a whole new world for would-be censors of campus speech. FIRE has kept a close watch on the developing relationship between colleges and… Read more
Weekly Media Round-Up: FIRE’s Pressure on Michigan State Over ‘Spamming’ Case Heating Up
December 5, 2008
While FIRE awaits the results of this week’s disciplinary hearing of Michigan State University (MSU) undergraduate Kara Spencer—who faces possible suspension for sending "spam" e-mails to 391 MSU professors—word of the case and FIRE’s involvement has quickly spread throughout the East Lansing, Michigan, campus and beyond. Shortly following the sending of FIRE’s letter to MSU… Read more
Tennessee State Bans JuicyCampus.com from Network
November 20, 2008
It was only a matter of time before some university decided to ban the gossip website JuicyCampus.com from its network, and now one has: Tennessee State University in Nashville. According to a November 12 letter from Vice President for Student Affairs Michael A. Freeman (see page 6 of the November 17 edition of The Meter,… Read more