School Spotlight

Washington and Lee University
Speech Code Rating
Student Handbook: Social Media Guidelines
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Internet Usage Policies
Last updated: September 27, 2020The basic principle is that members of the community are expected to adhere to the same levels of civility in their online conversations as in their face-to-face conversations. The same laws, University policies, guidelines, and personal and professional expectations for interacting with all University constituents ... Read MoreStudent Handbook: Student Judicial Council
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Other Speech Codes
Last updated: September 27, 2020The SJC believes that honorable behavior is a University Community Standard (“Standard”) that must be upheld. Students are bound to this Standard just as they are bound to the Honor System. Any person who believes a student has deviated from this Standard may bring a complaint to the SJC. … Violati... Read MoreUniversity Facilities Use Policy
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Protest and Demonstration Policies, Security Fee Policies
Last updated: September 27, 2020This Policy is intended to set forth the processes, procedures, and requirements for the use of University Facilities and to facilitate the efficient, safe, and orderly use of such facilities and grounds, consistent with the University’s educational mission. … Major Event means any Event where one or mor... Read MoreStatement on Response to Bias Incidents
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Policies on Bias and Hate Speech
Last updated: September 27, 2020Bias incidents – – incidents that one could reasonably conclude may intimidate, mock, degrade, or threaten individuals or groups because of actual or perceived inclusion in any of the categories or statuses listed above – – can adversely affect the members of our University community and unde... Read MoreUniversity Policy on Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation Other Than Sex
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: September 27, 2020To constitute harassment in violation of this policy there must be a finding that the conduct was: (1) based on one or more of the protected categories mentioned above; (2) unwelcome and offensive; and (3) either severe (in the case of isolated incidents) or repeated and pervasive such that it had the purpose or eff... Read MoreStudent Handbook: Statement on Student Behavior
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Policies on Tolerance, Respect, and Civility
Last updated: September 27, 2020The community expects civil, decent behavior designed to encourage mutual respect for our individual differences, desires, and ways of thinking. Instances of uncivil behavior involving students are most effectively dealt with in personal and informal ways, not by formal conduct procedures. Therefore, members of the ... Read MoreStudent Handbook: Computing Resources, Network and Email Use Policy
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Internet Usage Policies
Last updated: September 27, 2020Neither the network pathways nor W&L-owned computer systems are to be used: … for harassing, fraudulent, or threatening purposes; … Read MoreInterim Sexual Discrimination and Misconduct Policy
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: September 27, 2020Sexual harassment Non-Title IX sexual harassment means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature (e.g., sexual advances, request for sexual favors, or other unwanted verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature) or unwelcome conduct based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, when one or... Read MoreInterim Sexual Discrimination and Misconduct Policy: Title IX Sexual Harassment
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: September 27, 2020Title IX sexual harassment means conduct on the basis of sex that occurs in a University education program or activity, against a person in the United States, and satisfies one or more of the following: … Unwelcome conduct determined by a reasonable person to be so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive ... Read More
Due Process Legal Update: Judges in Virginia, Tennessee Rule in Favor of Accused Students
August 18, 2015
As Torch readers undoubtedly know, college students accused of sexual misconduct are routinely denied due process in campus judicial proceedings. In recent years, an increasing number of those students have been taking their universities to court, arguing that unfair campus proceedings violated their constitutional due process rights, breached contracts, and even discriminated against them on… Read more
The Problem with Mandating Civility
October 11, 2012
FIRE is often referred to as a "watchdog" organization, and that is indeed an important part of what we do. But those who follow our work know that we also love to reward schools for upholding students’ free speech rights. That is why when a university earns a "green light" rating—a distinction currently awarded to… Read more
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