University of Central Missouri
Location: Warrensburg, Missouri
Website: http://www.ucmo.edu
Type: Public
Federal Circuit: 8th Circuit
Speech Code Rating
University of Central Missouri 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 here.
Red Light Policies
UCM’s Guide to Good Decision-Making: The Right to Non-Discrimination, Equal Access, and Fair TreatmentThe Right to Non-Discrimination, Equal Access, and Fair Treatment
Speech Code Category: Policies on Bias and Hate Speech
Last updated: June 21, 2018As members of this diverse learning community, students have the responsibility to treat others equitably, to refrain from hateful discourse, to be civil, and to resolve disputes constructively.
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In some cases, lively debate can lead to disagreement and misunderstanding. We expect students to develop the skills to handle such disagreements with respect and civility. Your faculty, Student Experience and Engagement staff, organization advisors and other students can help you learn these skills. Students who engage in rhetoric or actions that demean individuals or groups are not well suited to the academic environment. Such behavior is antithetical to learning and may actually compromise the educational opportunities of others. Consequently, for the greater good of the learning community, individuals who engage in hateful rhetoric or discriminatory behaviors may be held accountable in a manner consistent with their rights as citizens under state and federal law.
Sexual Misconduct Policy and Complaint Resolution Procedures
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: February 28, 2018Sexual harassment is unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature. Sexual harassment can include unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal, nonverbal, or physical conduct of a sexual nature.
Hostile environment harassment occurs when: … Conduct of a sexual nature has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual’s academic or professional performance or creating what a reasonable person would perceive as an intimidating, hostile, or offensive employment, education, or living environment.
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Some examples of sexual harassment include: …
- Unnecessary references to parts of the body
- Sexual innuendos, jokes, humor, or gestures
- Displaying sexual graffiti, pictures, videos or posters
- Using sexually explicit profanity
- Asking about, or telling about, sexual fantasies, sexual preferences, or sexual activities
- E-mail and Internet use that violates this policy
- Sending sexually explicit emails or text messages
- Commenting on a person’s dress in a sexual manner
- Giving unwelcome personal gifts such as flowers, chocolates, or lingerie that suggest the desire for a romantic relationship
- Commenting on a person’s body, gender, sexual relationships, or sexual activities
Title IX: Sexual Misconduct Definitions
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: February 28, 2018Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment is unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature, including sexual violence. Sexual harassment can include unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal, nonverbal, or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Stalking, bullying and/or cyber-bullying may also be forms of sexual harassment.Possible examples of harassment: …
- A student repeatedly sends sexually oriented jokes around on an email list they created, even when asked to stop, causing one recipient to avoid the sender on campus and in the residence hall in which they both live.
Investigations of sexual harassment complaints will take into consideration both objective and subjective factors.
Hostile environment
Sexual harassment, including sexual violence, creates a hostile environment when the conduct is pervasive or sufficiently serious to limit or deny a student’s ability to participate in or benefit from the school’s educational or other programs.Bias Reporting
Speech Code Category: Policies on Bias and Hate Speech
Last updated: February 28, 2018If you have witnessed or experienced a bias incident that has occurred within the UCM community, please use the form below to report the incident anonymously or with your name. A bias incident is an act of intolerance which is committed against any person, group or property and which discriminates, stereotypes, harasses or excludes anyone….
Campus Posting Procedure
Speech Code Category: Posting and Distribution Policies
Last updated: February 28, 2018The intent of this policy is to provide the University of Central Missouri students, faculty and staff with maximum opportunity and space to advertise approved events, products, services, etc. at designated locations throughout the campus on bulletin boards or similar devices.
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Offensive, obscene, inflammatory advertising, etc. will not be permitted or tolerated on university display devices.
Discrimination and Harassment: Procedures for Reporting and Investigation Complaints
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: February 28, 2018Harassment: Unwelcome verbal, nonverbal or physical conduct based on age, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, handicap/disability or genetic information that has the purpose or effect of creating a hostile campus environment. Harassment may include, but is not limited to:
• offensive jokes;
• slurs;
• epithets;
• name calling;
• physical assaults or threats;
• offensive touching;
• offensive objects or pictures; or
• graffiti.Public Speech Activities Policy
Speech Code Category: Protest and Demonstration Policies
Last updated: February 28, 2018For the purposes of this policy “public speech activities” may include demonstrations (individual or collective), picketing, distribution of leaflets/publications, sit-ins, marches, mass gatherings and all other similar gatherings.
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Members of the university community, visitors and/or guests planning to hold or sponsor a public speech activity should provide the Office of Public Safety with notification of the desired time, location, expected attendance of the activity, the type of activity planned and at least 24 hours advance notice of the activity.
Demonstrations and Mass Gatherings
Speech Code Category: Protest and Demonstration Policies
Last updated: February 28, 2018In some instances it may be the desire of some students or other individuals to express their views and make their opinions known through the process of orderly demonstration. The primary responsibility of the University is to maintain conditions conducive to the effective conduct of academic affairs and to the preservation of dignity of public events and ceremonies. Campus demonstrations:
- Must be scheduled a minimum of 48 hours in advance with the Public Safety Office.
- Must be conducted in an orderly manner with areas used to be left in a state identical to that which it was in previous to usage.
- Must not interfere in any way with vehicular or pedestrian traffic.
- Must not interfere with classes, scheduled meetings, ceremonies, activities, or other educational or operational processes of the University.
- May not be held within University buildings or any outdoor facility when University functions are in process therein.
- Individuals or groups with a past history of interrupting the academic processes the University will be denied a reservation to hold a demonstration on campus.
Demonstrations include but are not limited to such activities as picketing, distribution of leaflets, and the presence of persons for the general purpose of registering sentiment and opinion.
Participation in mass gatherings that are considered to be disorderly and/or unlawful will subject a student to possible disciplinary action as severe as suspension from the University. Only a few students intentionally get involved in mob misconduct, but many so-called “spectators” get drawn into a disturbance and by their very presence contribute to the dimensions of the problems. It must be understood that the University considers anyone, whether actively involved or spectator, to be a participant subject to full enforcement of the law and University regulations when he/she is in violation of the laws or policies as an individual or as a member of a crowd.
Acceptable Use Guidelines
Speech Code Category: Internet Usage Policies
Last updated: October 10, 2018It is a violation of University policy to access the university’s electronic information system when the purpose of such access is to convey misinformation, defamatory material, or intimidating, threatening, pornographic, discriminatory, or disruptive messages.
UCM’s Guide to Good Decision-Making: Digital Citizenship
Speech Code Category: Internet Usage Policies
Last updated: February 28, 2018Responsible digital citizens do not give out too much personal information online, misrepresent or negatively represent themselves through social media, or engage in conduct that constitutes harassment or discrimination as defined in applicable University policies, or that is otherwise prohibited by law, such as defamation, libel, or slander.
UCM’s Guide to Good Decision-Making: Assault, Intimidation & Bullying
Speech Code Category: Bullying Policies
Last updated: October 10, 2018Bullying Definition
Bullying has been the subject of considerable public discussion and is often misunderstood. There is a difference between experiencing mean behavior and experiencing bullying. Bullying occurs when a person is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to extreme negative actions on the part of one or more other persons, and he or she has difficulty defending himself or herself. Bullying is unwanted aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance.
Bullying can take many forms including verbal conduct, such as, but not limited to, physical threats, incitement, illegal intimidation, discrimination and harassment, or defamation, libel, or slander. However, as a public institution, UCM upholds freedom of speech rights grounded in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and similar state laws. Exposure to mere speech that a person disagrees with or finds offensive does not constitute bullying.
Physical bullying involves hurting a person’s body or possessions and may include hitting, pushing, slapping, and tripping.
The university takes bullying very seriously and does not condone any behavior that compromises the educational opportunities of others.
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Missouri Colleges Could Be Punished For Stifling Student Speech Under Legislation
January 15, 2015
By Matt Lamb at The College Fix Missouri could become the second state in the nation to give college students broad rights to express themselves on campus without the maze of restrictions and permits typically required for demonstrations. The Campus Free Expression Act, introduced by Republican lawmakers in the state house and senate, deems outdoor areas of public universities “traditional public forums” that are protected by the First Amendment – in effect, eliminating “free speech zones.” Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, signed into law the same protections for Virginia students last spring. That bill passed both houses of the […]
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FIRE Report Finds Very Restrictive Speech Codes at American Universities
January 21, 2014
by Alec Torres The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) released its annual report on college-campus speech codes last week finding that while the percentage of colleges that seriously infringe upon students’ free-speech rights has diminished in recent years, many universities still burden students with overbearing and sometimes ridiculous speech regulations. Here’s a look at some of the most egregious speech codes that FIRE found: The University of Connecticut requires that “every member of the University shall refrain from actions that intimidate, humiliate, or demean persons or groups, or that undermine their security or self-esteem.” At Athens State University in Alabama, […]
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Speech Code of the Month: University of Central Missouri
June 26, 2018
FIRE announces our Speech Code of the Month for June 2018: the University of Central Missouri. This is the second time a UCM policy has been named FIRE’s Speech Code of the Month. Back in November 2014, we highlighted a portion of UCM’s Student Rights & Responsibilities policy that prohibits subjectively “hateful” rhetoric and suggests that students whose rhetoric “demean[s]” others “are not well suited to the academic environment.” As we wrote at the time: This policy is bound to have disastrous consequences for free and open debate on campus. Indeed, the policy actually cites “lively debate” as a context […]
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Speech Code of the Month: University of Central Missouri
November 12, 2014
FIRE announces its Speech Code of the Month for November 2014: the University of Central Missouri. While restrictive speech codes are on the decline nationwide, the University of Central Missouri (UCM) adopted several new, unconstitutional speech codes last year—a move that earned UCM FIRE’s worst, “red light,” rating for severely restricting students’ free speech rights. One of those new policies is found in the “Student Rights and Responsibilities” section of UCM’s Guide to Good Decision-Making (PDF). Pursuant to the “Right to Non-Discrimination, Equal Access, and Fair Treatment” (PDF), students can face unspecified consequences for constitutionally protected speech if someone else […]
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