School Spotlight

University of South Dakota

Location: Vermillion, South Dakota
Type: Public
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Speech Code Rating

University of South Dakota 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
This school has adopted the chicago statement for free speech. This school has adopted the chicago statement for free speech. This school has adopted the chicago statement for free speech.

  • Student Life: MUC Advertising Policies

    Speech Code Rating: Yellow
    Speech Code Category: Posting and Distribution Policies
    Last updated: September 16, 2020

    The purpose for the Advertising Policy is to insure that all campus organizations have equal access to free public advertising space and to equalize opportunities for effective, non-redundant placement of materials. Signs All signs must be brought to the Muenster Center Information Desk for approval. The Student Ce... Read More

  • South Dakota Board of Regents Policy Manual: 3:4 Student Code of Conduct

    Speech Code Rating: Green
    Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
    Last updated: September 16, 2020

    Harassment, which includes, but is not limited to: Conduct towards another person that is so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies the individual’s ability to participate in or to realize the intended benefits of an Institutional activity or resource … Read More

  • Bias, Discrimination or Harassment

    Speech Code Rating: Green
    Speech Code Category: Policies on Bias and Hate Speech
    Last updated: September 16, 2020

    Discrimination and harassment are taken seriously by the University of South Dakota for all faculty, staff and students. The South Dakota Board of Regents has defined and outlined procedures for handling such complaints in the following policies. 1:17 Harassment including Sexual Assault 1:17.1 Prevention of Sexu... Read More

  • South Dakota Board of Regents Policy Manual: 1:17 Sexual Harassment

    Speech Code Rating: Green
    Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
    Last updated: September 16, 2020

    Sexual harassment: Conduct on the basis of sex that satisfies one or more of the following: … Unwelcome conduct that a reasonable person would determine is so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to the institution’s education program or activity; … Read More

  • South Dakota Board of Regents Policy Manual: 3:4 Student Conduct Code

    Speech Code Rating: Green
    Speech Code Category: Internet Usage Policies
    Last updated: September 16, 2020

    Unauthorized use or abuse of technology, including, but not limited to: … Use of technology to interfere with the work of another student, faculty member, or institutional official; Use of an Institution’s technology to engage in Harassment. Use of technology to engage in unlawful activities, including those ... Read More

  • South Dakota Board of Regents Policy Manual: 1:32 Commitment to Freedom of Expression

    Speech Code Rating: Green
    Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
    Last updated: September 16, 2020

    Freedom of expression includes the right to discuss and present scholarly opinions and conclusions on all matters both in and outside the classroom without Board or institutional discipline or restraint. This freedom includes the right to speak and write as a member of the institutional communities governed by the B... Read More

  • South Dakota Board of Regents Policy Manual: 6:13:1 Use of Institutional Facilities and Grounds for Expressive Activity by Student Organizations, Students, Employees, and their Guests

    Speech Code Rating: Green
    Speech Code Category: Protest and Demonstration Policies
    Last updated: September 16, 2020

    Large-scale events: Defined as (i) events that are expected to attract 50 or more people or (ii) events that request the use of amplified sound. Such events include invited speakers, marches, parades, protests, and demonstrations. … 3.1. To facilitate robust debate and the free exchange of ideas, the outdoor a... Read More
At present, FIRE has not been publicly involved in any cases at this school.

  • Speech Code of the Month: University of South Dakota

    June 7, 2017

    FIRE announces our Speech Code of the Month for June 2017: the University of South Dakota. Not only are USD’s “Guidelines for the Awareness and Prevention of Acts of Cultural Insensitivity and Bullying at USD” written in a tone more appropriate for schoolchildren than adult college students, they also make clear that protected speech may… Read more

  • The Mystery of the Missing Free Speech Zone

    December 12, 2014

    FIRE’s Stand Up For Speech Litigation Project has already seen several victories for free expression on campus. Earlier this month, two institutions agreed to revise their speech codes and abolish their “free speech zones” within a day of each other—but far too many institutions still maintain such zones. A thoughtful editorial published in the University… Read more