School Spotlight

University of North Florida

Location: Jacksonville, Florida
Type: Public
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Speech Code Rating

University of North Florida has been given the speech code rating Green. Green light institutions are those colleges and universities whose policies nominally protect free speech. Read more

  • Resident Handbook: Decorations

    Speech Code Category: Policies on Tolerance, Respect, and Civility
    Last updated: September 4, 2018

    Residents are encouraged to be respectful of roommates and community members when decorating. In the event of a resident complaint over a roommate’s decoration, the Department of Housing and Residence Life will attempt to accommodate both parties and help to avoid conflict. The Department will not take down, cens... Read More

  • Resident Handbook: Disorderly/Disruptive Behavior

    Speech Code Category: Policies on Tolerance, Respect, and Civility
    Last updated: September 4, 2018

    Disorderly and/or disruptive behavior includes: physical abuse, intimidation, inappropriate behavior or a pattern of behavior (either in a succession of closely related disruptive acts or a series of actions over a period of time) which disregards the rights of individuals, animals, the community, causes physical da... Read More

  • Resident Handbook: Harassment/Endangerment

    Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
    Last updated: September 4, 2018

    Behavior and actions that create an unreasonably intimidating, hostile, or offensive, living, educational or work environment for another person or group is not permitted. Behavior and actions that intimate, threaten, or harm the health, safety, or welfare of another person, group, or animal is not permitted. Read More

  • Policies and Regulations: Student Conduct Code

    Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
    Last updated: September 4, 2018

    Sexual Misconduct: … Unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that is severe, persistent or pervasive so as to limit or deny a student’s ability to participate in or benefit from an academic program, event or activity or to otherwise participate in campus life. Read More

  • Policies and Regulations: Student Conduct Code

    Speech Code Category: Bullying Policies
    Last updated: September 4, 2018

    Bullying/Cyberbullying: Repeated and/or severe aggressive behaviors with the intent to intimidate or harm another person, physically or emotionally, when such behaviors are not protected as freedom of speech. Examples of such conduct include stalking, harassment, and invasion of privacy. Read More

  • Policies and Regulations: Non-Discrimination, Equal Opportunity and Diversity Regulation

    Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
    Last updated: September 4, 2018

    “Harassment” means unwelcome conduct about an individual or protected class covered by this regulation that is sufficiently serious (i.e., severe, persistent or pervasive) to deny or limit a student’s ability to participate in or benefit from the University’s educational programs or activities or such conduct ... Read More

  • Policies and Regulations: Sexual Misconduct Regulation

    Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
    Last updated: September 4, 2018

    “Sexual harassment” means unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal (including written and electronic communications when such communications are not protected as freedom of speech) or physical conduct of a sexual nature from any person when: … Such conduct is sufficiently serious ... Read More

  • Policies and Regulations: Use of Amplified Sound in University Facilities; Outdoor Areas; Demonstrations and Other Outdoor Events

    Speech Code Category: Protest and Demonstration Policies
    Last updated: September 4, 2018

    Outdoor areas on the campus which are not committed to a specific use or assigned to a specific University entity, such as the area located adjacent to the Arena and the Wellness Center, are free to be used for informal, unscheduled, and unamplified expressions of opinion or musical events by persons participating a... Read More
At present, FIRE has not been involved in any cases at this school.

  • University of North Florida Earns FIRE’s Highest Rating for Free Speech

    September 10, 2015

    JACKSONVILLE, Fla., September 10, 2015—The University of North Florida (UNF) has eliminated all of its unconstitutional speech codes, earning the highest, “green light” rating for free speech from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). With assistance from FIRE, UNF has joined a prestigious group of colleges and universities that have reformed their policies… Read more

  • Florida Highway Patrol Officer Admits He Stole Copies of U. North Florida Student Paper

    July 29, 2013

    Thousands of copies of the UNF Spinnaker, the University of North Florida’s (UNF’s) student newspaper, were reported missing last month, and university police have identified one of the men responsible: Florida Highway Patrol officer and UNF graduate Steven Coppola. The issue Coppola confessed to removing from newsstands contained a story detailing the arrest of a… Read more

  • Questions Surround Funding Freeze of UNF Student Paper

    March 29, 2011

    The racy cover photo from the latest issue of the University of North Florida (UNF) student newspaper, the Spinnaker, has caused a stir at the UNF campus and made some waves in the press. Chief among the media outlets to cover the matter is the Florida Times-Union, where Kate Howard has written a good summary… Read more

  • CFN Conference Attendee Takes the Spirit Back to Campus at University of North Florida

    October 11, 2010

    University of North Florida (UNF) student and 2010 CFN Conference attendee Edgar Aroutiounian recently published an op-ed in his school’s newspaper, The Spinnaker, exposing UNF’s speech policies. In the op-ed (page 9 of PDF file), Edgar does a great job of discussing the importance of allowing unbridled discourse at a public university such as UNF… Read more