School Spotlight
University of Akron
Speech Code Rating
Code of Student Conduct
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Policies on Tolerance, Respect, and Civility
Last updated: September 24, 2021Engaging in or threatening physical abuse, verbal abuse, threats, intimidation, harassment, coercion, and/or other conduct which intentionally or recklessly threatens or endangers the health, welfare or safety of any person. Read MoreGender-Based Misconduct and Title IX Policy & Protocol
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: September 24, 2021As prohibited by applicable University of Akron rules and policies, sexual harassment is unwelcome sexual, sex‐based, and/or gender‐based verbal, written, electronic, and/or physical conduct that unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work or educational experience or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offen... Read MoreCode of Student Conduct
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: September 24, 2021Sexual misconduct includes but is not limited to: … Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature that expressly or implicitly imposes conditions upon, threatens, interferes with, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or demeaning environment for a... Read MoreCode of Student Conduct
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Internet Usage Policies
Last updated: September 24, 2021Theft or other abuse of computer facilities and resources, including but not limited to: … Use of computing facilities and resources to send obscene or abusive messages. Read MoreResidence Hall Handbook: Student rights and responsibilities
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: September 24, 2021The University recognizes the importance of your rights as a student. Those rights include freedom of expression, the procedures of due process, and respect for the personal integrity of all members of the community and their property. By ensuring your individual rights, the University fosters an environment conduci... Read MoreGender-Based Misconduct and Title IX Policy & Protocol
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: September 24, 2021As prohibited by Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, sexual harassment means conduct on the basis of sex that satisfies one 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 equ... Read MoreOffice of General Counsel: Reserving Outdoor Space on Campus
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Protest and Demonstration Policies
Last updated: September 24, 2021The University has updated the process for reserving and/or using outdoor space on campus. The updated process permits students and University community members (University faculty, employees, staff, and students) to continue to reserve public spaces on campus to engage in expressive activities. However, the Univers... Read More
University of Akron: Unconstitutional Permit Requirements Burden Suppress Student Expression
October 19, 2015
On August 30, 2015, law student Anthony Palumbo attempted to sign up new members for a prospective campus organization outside UA’s Student Union. An administrator ordered Palumbo to cease this activity, informing Palumbo that he was required to obtain a permit. UA associate general counsel Scott Campbell confirmed this requirement during a meeting with Palumbo… Read more
After Controversy, University of Akron Moves Quickly to Remove Speech Restrictions
October 19, 2015
As Torch readers who have followed FIRE’s Stand Up For Speech Litigation Project will be aware, restricting the rights of students to engage in such basic activities as distributing flyers and printed materials can land public institutions in a lot of constitutional trouble. (See: Modesto Junior College. See also: University of Hawaii at Hilo, Citrus… Read more
Tribunal Tribulations
March 13, 2006
Today, John Higgins of the Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal takes a long and critical look at campus courts in two articles, one about the practices of campus courts in general and one about a University of Akron student who, although acquitted of drug trafficking in court, was convicted of it by a campus court and… Read more