University of North Alabama
Location: Florence, Alabama
Website: http://www.una.edu
Type: Public
Federal Circuit: 11th Circuit
Speech Code Rating
University of North Alabama has been given the speech code rating Yellow. Yellow light colleges and universities are those institutions with at least one ambiguous policy that too easily encourages administrative abuse and arbitrary application. Read more here.
Student Handbook: Harassment and Nondiscrimination Policy
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: March 13, 2018Harassment is defined as behavior that involves an expressed or implied threat through gestures, mannerisms, and/or body language, to interfere with an individual’s personal safety, academic efforts, employment, or participation in university-sponsored extracurricular activities and causes the person to have a reasonable apprehension that such harm is about to occur; or that has the purpose or reasonably foreseeable effect of interfering with an individual’s personal safety, academic efforts, employment, or participation in university sponsored extracurricular activities and causes the person to have a reasonable apprehension that such harm is about to occur.
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It is the responsibility of all university students, faculty, staff, and administrators to assure that the university community is free from sexual harassment. Accordingly, all members of the university community must avoid any conduct that is or has the appearance of being sexual harassment. Examples of such behavior include unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when: … such conduct has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with a student’s academic performance or employment or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive learning or working environment that is severe, pervasive and objectively offensive.
Code of Student Conduct: Unwelcome Harassment
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: March 13, 2018[Unwelcome] Harassment. Any unwelcome conduct based on actual or perceived status including: [sex, gender, race, color, age, creed, national or ethnic origin, physical or mental disability, veteran status, pregnancy status, religion, sexual orientation or other protected status]. Any unwelcome conduct should be reported to campus officials, who will act to remedy and resolve reported incidents on behalf of the victim and community.
a) Hostile Environment. Sanctions can and will be imposed for the creation of a hostile environment only when [unwelcome] harassment is sufficiently severe, pervasive (or persistent) and objectively offensive that it unreasonably interferes with, limits or denies the ability to participate in or benefit from the University’s educational or employment program or activities.
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This policy attempts to balance the need of the community to create a civil climate while also embracing the 1st Amendment protection that attaches to most harassing speech that is simply offensive.
Code of Student Conduct: Bullying and Cyberbullying
Speech Code Category: Internet Usage Policies
Last updated: March 13, 2018Bullying and cyberbullying are repeated and/or severe aggressive behaviors that intimidate or intentionally harm or control another person physically or emotionally, and are not protected by freedom of expression.
Title IX Definitions
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: March 13, 2018Hostile environment is unwelcome conduct by an individual or individuals against another individual based upon her/ his protected class that is sufficiently severe or pervasive that it alters the conditions of education or employment and creates an environment that a reasonable person would find intimidating, hostile, or offensive.
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Sexual harassment is one type of sex discrimination under Title IX. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (www2.ed.gov/ocr) states that sexual harassment is “unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature”. That is, “any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature”.
Student Handbook: Campus Speakers Policy
Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: March 13, 2018The University of North Alabama is committed to fostering a learning environment in which free inquiry and expression are encouraged.
Student Handbook: Campus Speakers Policy
Speech Code Category: Protest and Demonstration Policies
Last updated: March 13, 2018Lawful and peaceful demonstration as an expression is permitted and protected. On the other hand, the University will not tolerate substantial disruption to its educational mission. Substantial disruption is defined to include any activity which, contrary to law: … Constitutes “hate violence,” meaning any act of physical intimidation or physical harassment, physical force or physical violence, or the threat of physical force or physical violence, that is directed against any person or group, or the property of any person or group because of the ethnicity, race, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or political or religious beliefs of that person or group. (Acts shall not be considered “hate violence” based on speech alone, except upon a showing that the speech itself threatens violence against a specific person or group, that the person or group against whom the threat is directed reasonably fears that the violence will be committed because of the speech, and that the person threatening violence had the apparent ability to carry out the threat.)
