Reporting Hate Crimes & Bias Incidents

Speech Code Category: Policies on Bias and Hate Speech
Last updated: August 16, 2017

To foster a safe and inclusive campus, the University will investigate all incidents motivated by bias. In order to prompt an investigation, the incident must be reported. Anyone who feels that they have been a victim, who has witnessed, or who learns of a hate crime or bias incident can report the incident via the Hate Crimes & Bias Incident Report Form.

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What is a Bias Incident?

Bias incidents involve verbal, written, or physical behaviors which are not criminal offenses, but target a person because of their actual or perceived identity or group membership(s) and may be in violation of a University policy. This includes inflicting mental or emotional distress upon a person through a course of conduct involving abuse or disparagement of that person’s actual or perceived identity or group membership(s). It is important to note that all hate crimes are bias incidents but not all bias incidents are hate crimes.

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Student Affairs Procedures Affecting Students: Guidelines for Responsible Computing

Speech Code Category: Internet Usage Policies
Last updated: August 16, 2017

Each user must accept the responsibility for his/her actions and agree to: … Use appropriate language, behavior and style.

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Student Affairs Procedures Affecting Students: Chalking Procedures

Speech Code Category: Policies on Tolerance, Respect, and Civility
Last updated: August 16, 2017

Chalking that includes discriminatory, threatening, harassing, lewd and/or obscene language is not allowed. The university reserves the right to remove anything that violates these guidelines and to bill the responsible individual or group.

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Code of Conduct: Definitions

Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: August 16, 2017

Harassment is defined as unwelcome conduct (including written or electronic communication) directed at a specific person(s), which is so severe, pervasive or persistent that it interferes with or limits a person’s ability to participate in, or benefit from the services, activities, or opportunities offered by the University.

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Code of Conduct: Prohibited Conduct

Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: August 16, 2017

Abuse of any person; this includes verbal, written, e-mail, or telephone abuse.

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Student Affairs Procedures Affecting Students: University Housing Policies

Speech Code Category: Posting and Distribution Policies
Last updated: August 16, 2017

Offensive items or language shall not be displayed on a door (i.e., room, suite, quad, or apartment) or be viewable from outside a room, quad, suite, or apartment.

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Policies Affecting Students: 06-01.60- Policy on Sexual Misconduct

Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: August 16, 2017

Sexual Harassment is any unwelcome sexual advance, unwelcome request for sexual favors, or other unwelcome verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when: … such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work or academic performance, i.e., it is sufficiently severe or pervasive to create an intimating, hostile, humiliating, demeaning or sexually offensive working, academic, residential or social environment.

Examples of Sexual Harassment include: harassment through public or private insult, sexually suggestive comments concerning a person’s body or behavior, and/or sexual demands; subtle or overt pressure to comply with sexual demands; undue and unwanted remarks about another person’s clothing, body, sexual activities, sexual preferences, or sexual orientation; unwelcome flirting, teasing, jokes, or gestures that are sexual in nature; unwanted kissing, touching, pinching, patting or brushing another’s body or clothing; unwanted kissing, touching, pinching, patting or indecent exposure of one’s own private body parts; unwanted communications of a sexual nature verbally, in writing, by telephone, computer, or by other means; requests or demands for sexual favors accompanied by implied or overt threats or promised rewards (e.g., grades, references or awards (for students) or assignments, promotions or discipline (for employees)); repetition of unwanted invitations for dates.

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Policies Affecting Students: 06-04.11- Policy on Time, Place, and Manner

Speech Code Category: Protest and Demonstration Policies
Last updated: August 16, 2017

Students, Student Groups, faculty or staff planning Expressive Activity must contact the following offices in advance of any planned Expressive Activity: the Office of Campus Life (Students and Student groups); the Provost’s Office (faculty); and the Office of the Vice President for Administration and Finance (staff).

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Policies Affecting Students: 10-01.02 – Acceptable Use Policy

Speech Code Category: Internet Usage Policies
Last updated: August 16, 2017

Unacceptable uses include, but are not limited to, the following: … Producing chain letters or broadcasting messages to individuals or lists of users, or producing any communication which interferes with the work of others. … Using computing resources to threaten or harass others or transmitting obscene or fraudulent messages. …

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Reporting Hate Crimes & Bias Incidents

Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: August 16, 2017

Hate itself is not a crime and Towson University is mindful of protecting freedom of speech and other civil liberties.

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Fit to Print: Campus Journalists Face Down Those who Want to Stop the Presses

April 13, 2016

By Matthew Kassel at Observer It has been a tumultuous year or so for student journalists. Around the country, they’ve have had to contend with campus protesters and school officials who frame the concept of a free press in opposition to notions of politically correct speech… Read more here.

University of Rochester and Towson U. Get It Right on Recent Controversies

April 4, 2013

It’s not often enough that FIRE gets to relay a good example of speech on campus, but today I’m happy to bring you not one but two schools that are fostering proper respect for values of free speech and liberty more generally on their campuses  The first comes from the University of Rochester, where economics professor Steven Landsburg posed a controversial question on his personal blog, The Big Questions, concerning whether or not harm is done to rape victims if they are not physically damaged by their assault.  As you might expect, Landsburg’s question stirred up news media from Gawker […]

Towson University Should Not ‘Absolutely Want’ to be a ‘Yellow Light’ School

February 10, 2012

The Towerlight, a student newspaper at Maryland’s Towson University, ran an article earlier this week on Towson’s “yellow light” rating in FIRE’s recent speech code report, Spotlight on Speech Codes 2012: The State of Free Speech on Our Nation’s Campuses. The article does a good job of explaining Towson’s speech code rating, which could certainly be the subject of a thoroughly exhausting piece given that the university maintains no fewer than seven “yellow light” policies. As a public institution legally bound by the First Amendment, this is simply unacceptable. Perhaps more noteworthy than that, though, are some of the statements […]

In Pursuing Theft of Towson Newspapers, State’s Attorney Chooses Expediency Over the Law

March 31, 2011

I wrote here last month about the theft of 2,000 to 3,000 issues of the Towson University campus newspaper The Towerlight. I wrote then, as did The Baltimore Sun on March 2, that The Towerlight intended to press charges against the perpetrators of the thefts, if they were caught, under the Maryland Newspaper Theft Statute. It appeared progress was being made in the investigation. As the Sun wrote: University spokeswoman Carol Dunsworth said that campus police identified suspects in the case and that those suspects have been referred to the office of student conduct for possible punishment. But that’s not good enough for […]

Towson University’s ‘Towerlight’ Responds to Theft of Campus Paper

February 14, 2011

At Towson University in Maryland, the editors of The Towerlight, the campus’ student newspaper, are promising to take action after, according to initial reports, almost all of its most recent edition was stolen—nearly 10,000 copies in all (update, 2/15/11: a more recent estimate is that 2,000-3,000 papers were stolen).  Such thefts are depressingly common on university campuses, as we at FIRE can attest. In fact, The Towerlight notes that this is the third such occurrence at Towson in the past three semesters alone! Not only is this form of censorship unprincipled and thuggish, it is nonsensical—whatever content in the paper motivated […]

CFN Member Profile: John Eubank

November 3, 2008

The Campus Freedom Network is full of liberty-minded students who are willing to work for reform on their campuses. One such student is John Eubank IV. A senior at Towson University in Maryland, John is active in the Student Government Association, Towson PROLIFE, Campus Crusade for Christ, and intramural flag football. John first learned of FIRE when Towson barred Towson PROLIFE from hosting an event on campus. John contacted FIRE, but before we could even get involved, the university relented and allowed the group to host their event. When he joined student government and discovered that the university illegally barred […]

FIRE’s Adam Kissel Speaking at Towson University Tonight

October 7, 2008

Adam Kissel, director of FIRE’s Individual Rights Defense Program, will be presenting two lectures at Towson University tonight. He has been invited to speak to the Towson Student Government Association early this evening and will give some remarks on the various measures that student representatives can take to ensure that they are doing their best to protect students’ rights. He will then give a public lecture entitled “Constitutional Rights of Students, Faculty, and Staff on College Campuses” at 7:00 p.m. in the Loch Raven Room of the University Union. Adam’s lecture has been sponsored by CFN member John Eubank IV […]