School Spotlight
University of Michigan – Flint
Speech Code Rating
Standard Practice Guide Policies: Sexual Harassment
Speech Code Rating: Red
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: December 8, 2017An individual may engage in conduct of a sexual nature that may not be sufficiently severe, persistent or pervasive to constitute sexual harassment as described below, but is nonetheless inappropriate. Such conduct also will not be tolerated by the University, is prohibited by the University and is subject to disci... Read MoreWhat is Sexual Misconduct?
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: December 8, 2017Sexual Harassment Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature if: … Conduct that has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s educational performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, offensive, or abusive env... Read MoreEvent and Building Services: Posting Policy
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Posting and Distribution Policies
Last updated: October 10, 2018All flyers and posters must be approved by the Office of Student Life. If a flyer or poster is distributed without the official Student Life stamp of approval, it will be removed immediately. Read MoreCode of Student Conduct: Offenses Against Persons
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: December 8, 2017Harassment – any severe or pervasive verbal, written, or electronic communication or action that causes a reasonable person to feel emotionally or mentally distressed or frightened. Harassment also includes communication or action that interferes with an individual’s participation in an educational, work, or Univers... Read MoreResident’s Guide to Community Living: Behavior Toward University Staff
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Policies on Tolerance, Respect, and Civility
Last updated: December 8, 2017Abusive, disrespectful and threatening language (written or verbal) and behavior directed toward University staff, including student staff, is prohibited. Read MoreStudent Sexual Misconduct Policy
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: December 8, 2017Sexual Harassment – unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature if … such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s educational performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, offensive, or abusive env... Read MoreResident’s Guide to Community Living: Resident Bill of Rights
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Policies on Tolerance, Respect, and Civility
Last updated: December 8, 2017As a member of the residential community, each resident has the right to: … Be free from intimidation, and verbal, physical, and/or emotional harm. Read MoreCode of Student Conduct: Offenses Against Persons
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Bullying Policies
Last updated: December 8, 2017Threats, intimidation, bullying, or coercion. Read MoreStandard Practice Guide Policies: Freedom of Speech and Artistic Expression
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: December 8, 2017Expression of diverse points of view is of the highest importance, not only for those who espouse a cause or position and then defend it, but also for those who hear and pass judgment on that defense. The belief that an opinion is pernicious, false, or in any other way detestable cannot be grounds for its suppressio... Read MoreCode of Student Conduct: Student Rights
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: December 8, 2017Students at the University have the same rights and protections under the Constitutions of the United States and the State of Michigan as other citizens. These rights include freedom of expression, press, religion, and assembly. Higher education has a long tradition of student activism and values freedom of expressi... Read More
Federal judge’s dangerous speech code ruling overshadows promising due process decision
November 27, 2018
Last week, a federal district court issued a ruling in a lawsuit brought by University of Michigan professor Pamela Smock against her institution that is notable for its sharply divided outcomes on several major civil liberties issues facing public university faculty. While the decision is promising with regard to campus due process protections, its holding… Read more
University of Michigan Student Assembly Does the Right Thing, Scraps Proposal to Lower Standard of Evidence
December 11, 2009
Last week, I blogged about the fact that Tulane University is on the verge of lowering the standard of evidence in student disciplinary matters from one of "clear and convincing evidence" to a "preponderance of the evidence." I discussed, as we have before on The Torch, why adopting the "preponderance" standard was a bad idea and would shortchange students’… Read more
Debate over Offensive Letter at University of Michigan–Flint
October 18, 2007
In the latest in a series of controversies involving student newspapers, a college newspaper at the University of Michigan–Flint has come under fire because it published an offensive letter to the editor insulting the university’s Muslim community. As with the recent case at Colorado State University, the letter seems to have spurred some calls for… Read more
Art and the Myth of the ‘Right Not to Be Offended’
October 21, 2005
Check out the fascinating story (“Censoring Art or Protecting Workers?”) about censored artwork in Inside Higher Ed. Apparently the University of Michigan at Flint is demanding that a graphic drawing called Hermaphrodite be removed from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Center because it is creating a “hostile environment” for workers. Anyone who pays attention… Read more
Follow FIRE