School Spotlight

University of South Dakota
Speech Code Rating
Student Life: MUC Advertising Policies
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Posting and Distribution Policies
Last updated: September 16, 2020The 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 MoreSouth 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, 2020Harassment, 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 MoreBias, Discrimination or Harassment
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Policies on Bias and Hate Speech
Last updated: September 16, 2020Discrimination 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 MoreSouth Dakota Board of Regents Policy Manual: 1:17 Sexual Harassment
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: September 16, 2020Sexual 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 MoreSouth 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, 2020Unauthorized 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 MoreSouth 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, 2020Freedom 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 MoreSouth 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, 2020Large-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
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
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