Washington University in St. Louis

Washington University: Mandatory University Viewpoint

September 10, 2002

The Student Bar Association (SBA) at Washington University School of Law voted 27-6, with 4 abstentions, to recognize Law Students Pro-Life. This vote overturned two earlier decisions that denied recognition to Law Students Pro-Life, the critical first vote having been 27-10-1 against the group. In a September 9, 2002 letter of rejection to Law Students Pro-Life, the SBA termed "the catching issue" what they labeled "the narrowness of the group’s interests and goals." The SBA "felt that the organization was not touching on all possible Pro-Life issues" because it did not have an "anti-death penalty" position in its constitution. FIRE […]

Rights and Responsibilities of Resident Students

Speech Code Category: Policies on Tolerance, Respect, and Civility
Last updated: May 17, 2018

The right to be free from fear of intimidation, physical and/or emotional harm.

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Discrimination and Harassment: Sexual Harassment

Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: May 17, 2018

Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination based on sex. It may include unwelcome sexual advances or other nonconsensual conduct of a sexual nature, when (1) submission to or rejection of such conduct is used as a basis or threatened basis for employment decisions or for academic evaluation, grades, or advancement, or (2) such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work or academic performance and creating an abusive, hostile or intimidating work or academic environment.

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Residential Life Policies and Procedures: Posting Guidelines

Speech Code Category: Posting and Distribution Policies
Last updated: May 17, 2018

No reference to alcohol, drugs, or nudity is permissible; no sexist or discriminatory materials allowed. What constitutes sexist or discriminatory materials will be left to the discretion of the Residential Life staff.

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Bias Report and Support System: What is a Bias Incident?

Speech Code Category: Policies on Bias and Hate Speech
Last updated: May 17, 2018

A bias incident is any discriminatory or hurtful act that appears to be or is perceived by the victim to be motivated by race, ethnicity, age, religion, national origin, sex, disability, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, veteran status or socioeconomic status. To be considered an incident, the act is not required to be a crime under any federal, state or local statutes, nor does it have to violate university policy.

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Advertising and Promotions

Speech Code Category: Posting and Distribution Policies
Last updated: May 17, 2018

Posting may not make any references to alcoholic beverages or other drugs. Sexist and discriminatory materials are not allowed.

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Demonstrations and Disruption

Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: May 17, 2018

In pursuit of its mission to promote teaching and learning, Washington University in St. Louis encourages students, faculty and staff to be bold, independent, and creative thinkers.
Fundamental to this process is the creation of an environment that respects the rights of all members of the University community to explore and to discuss questions which interest them, to express opinions and debate issues energetically and publicly, and to demonstrate their concern by orderly means. Therefore, it is the policy of the University to protect the rights of free speech, assembly and expression by making its facilities available for activities related to the exercise of these rights, including peaceful assembly.

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University Student Conduct Code: General Principles

Speech Code Category: Advertised Commitments to Free Expression
Last updated: May 17, 2018

These community standards and expectations are intended to foster an environment conducive to learning and inquiry. Freedom of thought and expression is essential to the University’s academic mission. Respect for different points of view is essential. Nothing in this Code should be construed to limit the free and open exchange of ideas and viewpoints, even if that exchange proves to be offensive, distasteful, disturbing or denigrating to some.

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University Student Conduct Code: Offenses

Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: May 17, 2018

Stalking, hazing, engaging in domestic, dating, or interpersonal violence, or any other conduct which harasses, threatens, or endangers the safety or health of, any member of the University community or visitor to the University.

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Discrimination and Harassment: Harassment

Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: May 17, 2018

Harassment is a form of discrimination. It is generally defined as unwelcome conduct, on or off campus, that is based on race, color, national origin, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, disability or genetic information, that (1) is subjectively and objectively offensive, (2) is severe or pervasive, and (3) has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work or educational performance and creating an abusive, hostile or intimidating environment for work or learning. Whether particular conduct constitutes harassment often depends on the totality of the circumstances.

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Residential Life Policies and Procedures: Harassment

Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: May 17, 2018

Washington University advocates a positive and safe environment for its students, faculty, and staff and does not tolerate harassment of any kind. Harassment is defined as unwelcome and objectively offensive conduct that (a) has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work or educational environment, (b) is directed at a particular individual or individuals, and (c) is abusive or severely humiliating. Such behavior is subject to disciplinary action.

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Univ. Allows Anonymous ‘Bias Reports’ of Profs., Students

August 12, 2015

By Peter Hasson at Campus Reform Students at Washington University St. Louis can anonymously report their peers for “microaggressions,” “perceived unequal treatment,” and “discriminatory comments” through the school’s Bias Report and Support System (BRSS). A bias incident, according to the school, is “any discriminatory or hurtful act” that the victim perceives to be motivated by one of thirteen different options, including “gender identity or expression,” “sexual orientation,” “age,” and “socioeconomic status.” A bias incident also does not have to be “a crime under any federal, state or local statutes, nor does it have to violate university policy.” The university’s Bias Report […]

Union Organizing On the Rise at St. Louis Area College Campuses

April 23, 2015

By Dale Singer at St. Louis Public Radio Newly unionized adjunct instructors at Washington University prepared for their first negotiating session with the university this week, while adjuncts at Webster University get ready to decide whether they should organize as well. And the organizing movement could soon spread to St. Charles Community College. The activity reflects efforts nationwide by the Service Employees International Union to help part-time campus instructors who are seeking higher pay, greater stability and more influence over their jobs. At many campuses, such teachers – with no benefits and little job security – are becoming an increasingly […]

Missouri Colleges Could Be Punished For Stifling Student Speech Under Legislation

January 15, 2015

By Matt Lamb at The College Fix Missouri could become the second state in the nation to give college students broad rights to express themselves on campus without the maze of restrictions and permits typically required for demonstrations. The Campus Free Expression Act, introduced by Republican lawmakers in the state house and senate, deems outdoor areas of public universities “traditional public forums” that are protected by the First Amendment – in effect, eliminating “free speech zones.” Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, signed into law the same protections for Virginia students last spring. That bill passed both houses of the […]

HELICOPTER U.?

October 18, 2013

by Andrew Davis Some kids have two daddies. Welcome to the new face of the modern, all-American family. Today’s parents come in all shapes and sizes, and for most freedom-loving people, it is really not that big of a deal. What matters most is that parents raise their children to become well-adjusted, productive adults. It is not an easy job. Sometimes it may feel like taking a ride through Willy Wonka’s psychedelic boat tunnel; a constant flux of pure joy, blinding anger, and every emotion in between. It is also utterly terrifying. Imagine the paralyzing fear of a mother handing […]

Ideology is the Issue on Campus not Equality

December 10, 2003

By Michael P. Tremoglie at MensNewsDaily.com In September 2002, Washington University School of Law‘s, Student Bar Association (SBA), voted against recognizing the Law Students Pro-Life organization (LSPL). In a September 9, 2002 letter of rejection to LSPL, the SBA said the problem with the group was “the narrowness of your group’s interests and goals.” The SBA “felt that the organization was not touching on all possible Pro Life issues, ” because it did not have an anti-death penalty” position in its constitution. Enter The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), a nonprofit educational foundation, located in Philadelphia, devoted to free […]

Anti-Abortion Group Wins Recognition at Washington U.

October 25, 2002

By Lindsay Bosslett at The Chronicle of Higher Education The third time seems to be the charm for a group of law students at Washington University in St. Louis who fought successfully to get their anti-abortion organization recognized by the school’s Student Bar Association. The group, Law Students Pro-Life, which also opposes euthanasia, and assisted suicide, has been trying since last month to gain recognition in order to receive funds and other privileges given to student organizations. After two failed attempts, it was finally approved by a vote of 27 to 6 last week. Members of the group, with the help […]

Law School Officially Recognizes Pro-Life Student Group

October 24, 2002

Washington University Law School Club Feud is Resolved

October 23, 2002

By Peter Page at Law.com The Washington University School of Law in St. Louis has sanctioned, among other groups, a Jewish Law Society and a club for students enthused about golf. But a group of law students with antiabortion sentiments was twice denied official recognition. The Student Bar Association (SBA) — which acts as the student government of the law school — relented last week and granted recognition to Law Students ProLife after the group’s plight became a cause célèbre for civil rights advocates. “We thought this would be easily resolved,” said Greg Lukianoff, director of legal and public advocacy for the […]

A Place For ‘Wrong’ View on Campus

October 21, 2002

Student Bar Group OKs Pro-lifers

October 17, 2002

Pro-life Students Try for Recognition

October 14, 2002

Exclusion on campus

October 13, 2002

WU Law Students Maintain Rejection of Anti-abortion Group

October 11, 2002

By Susan Thomson at St. Louis Post-Dispatch Unmoved by criticism from a Philadelphia group and the urgings of its own dean, the student government at Washington University’s law school is standing by two previous votes to deny recognition to an anti-abortion student group. At a hastily organized meeting at the law school Thursday, the Student Bar Association, as the governing body is called, aired once again the pros and cons of approving the Law Students Pro-Life group. No votes were taken, and SBA President Elliott Friedman adjourned the meeting after an hour and scheduled a follow-up for Monday. The meeting came a […]

The Corner at the National Review Online: Latest from Washington U

October 11, 2002

Pro-Life Group Likely to Win Law School Clash

October 10, 2002

Prospects Improve for Pro-life Law Group

October 9, 2002

Washington University Muzzles Pro-lifers

October 9, 2002

NewsMax At Washington University in St. Louis, the Student Bar Association, under the authority of the school’s administration, has interfered with the rights of Law Students Pro-Life, a student group that sought permission to exist. “Washington University’s chancellor has condoned intolerable restrictions on freedom of conscience, freedom of association, and freedom of speech. Washington University, known historically as a great center of inquiry and debate, is acting as a politically orthodox campus that denies intellectual pluralism and diversity,” said Alan Charles Kors, president of Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). SBA twice rejected the constitution of Law Students Pro-Life, […]

Speech Code Countdown: ‘U.S. News’ Top 25 College Rankings, Numbers 19-11

October 6, 2016

FIRE’s U.S. News & World Report “Best Colleges” Countdown continues today. We’re giving you a school-by-school analysis of just how well America’s “Best Colleges” do when it comes to protecting free speech on campus. Unfortunately, in today’s crop of top campuses, troubling speech codes abound. As part of FIRE’s fresh look at U.S. News’ top-ranked colleges, we used information from our Spotlight speech code database as well as information on other headline-making free speech news that applicants should know about before they apply to a given school. FIRE rates schools’ speech codes using a traffic light-inspired system. A “red light” […]

Washington University in St. Louis Endorses Version of the Chicago Statement

September 12, 2016

Last week, the Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) Faculty Senate Council endorsed a statement affirming the university’s “unwavering commitment to freedom of expression and free exchange of ideas.” With this vote, WashU joins more than a dozen other institutions at which faculty or administrative bodies have adopted a version of the 2015 University of Chicago policy statement (Chicago Statement) on free speech and academic freedom—which FIRE has called the gold standard for such commitments to freedom of expression at colleges and universities. The WashU faculty council statement begins by quoting from the institution’s mission statement, which asserts its primary […]

Speech Code of the Month: Washington University in St. Louis

April 5, 2013

FIRE announces its Speech Code of the Month for April 2013: Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL). Specifically, WUSTL’s Residence Life Policies and Procedures define “harassment” as: any behavior or conduct that is injurious, or potentially injurious to a person’s physical, emotional, or psychological well-being, as determined at the sole discretion of the University. Such behavior is subject to disciplinary action. While many speech codes open the door to administrative abuse of discretion, few are so shameless about it. In fact, the only similar policy that comes to mind is Northeastern University’s Appropriate Use Policy (PDF)—another former Speech Code of […]

The State of Free Speech on Campus: Washington University in St. Louis

April 6, 2009

Throughout the spring semester, FIRE is drawing special attention to the state of free speech at America’s top 25 national universities (as ranked by U.S. News & World Report). Today we review policies at Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL), which FIRE has given a red-light rating for maintaining policies that clearly and substantially restrict free expression on campus. As a private university, WUSTL is free to place other values above the right to free expression—but it must do so openly, in such a way that any prospective student or faculty member considering joining the university community would be aware […]

This Month in FIRE History: Victory for Freedom of Conscience at Citrus College; Coerced Student Anti-War Letters Repudiated by Administration

March 13, 2009

As we at FIRE often say, as dangerous as it is to tell citizens what they can and cannot say, it is far worse to tell them what they must say and, worse still—what they must believe. Unfortunately, we have far too many examples of colleges doing exactly that. In February of 2003, Citrus College joined a list of schools that have coerced students to lobby the government for beliefs that they did not agree with. The case began when Professor Roslyn Kahn offered extra credit to students who wrote letters to President Bush protesting the war in Iraq. Several […]

Honorary Degrees, Free Speech and Respect

May 16, 2008

Many faculty members and students at Washington University in St. Louis plan to turn their backs today when Phyllis Schlafly receives an honorary doctorate. They and many others are furious that the university is honoring a woman who has spent her career crusading against protections for women as well as for promoting the teaching of disproved theories that attack evolutionary science. The university has largely framed the issue as one of free speech and the free exchange of ideas. Statements from the university have noted that many degrees have gone to people who have been “part of the broad public […]

This Month in FIRE History: Victory for Conscience and Legal Equality at Washington University, Saint Louis

October 16, 2006

Four years ago this month, Washington University School of Law’s Student Bar Association (SBA) voted to recognize the student group Law Students Pro-Life. The October 14, 2002, vote overturned two earlier decisions that denied recognition to Law Students Pro-Life, ostensibly on the grounds that the group’s mission was too narrow because it did not have an “anti-death penalty” provision in its constitution. FIRE wrote to the university, which publicly promises the freedoms of religion and speech, urging it to correct this injustice. When FIRE received no response, and the university took no action, FIRE and the ACLU of Eastern Missouri […]

RIC Is Not the Only One

February 24, 2005

A FIRE supporter has written us and noted that forced lobbying is “quite common, and apparently accepted, in Social Work schools.” He goes on to say: At Washington University Social Work students also engaged in school-directed lobbying of the state legislature on behalf of University-approved positions as part of a course for credit. Since Washington is a private school, such lobbying could endanger the school’s tax-exempt status. If these practices are common, it is quite possible that many other students have had their rights of conscience violated and not known that FIRE could help. If there are any other readers […]

Open Letter From the ACLU and FIRE

October 11, 2002

An Open Letter from the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education to the Student Bar Association, Washington University School of Law October 11, 2002 Dear Members of the Student Bar Association, We were both surprised and profoundly disappointed to learn of your most recent meeting, at which the Student Bar Association (SBA) left unchanged its decision not to recognize Law Students Pro-Life (LSPL) as a legitimate student group at Washington University School of Law (WUSL). We hoped that, with time and further thought, LSPL’s right to exist would become as clear […]

Law School Dean Joel Seligman’s Response to Critics

October 10, 2002

From: Marjorie Anderson [mailto:manderson@wulaw.wustl.edu] Sent: Thursday, October 10, 2002 2:59 PM To: rz[…] Subject: Re: Say It Isn’t So! Due to the overwhelming number of emails, I am helping Dean Seligman answer all incoming mail. In response to your email, Dean Seligman replies: “Thank you for your recent email. The SBA and the ProLife students have been meeting and in the normal course of events, the ProLife student’s application for recognition will be considered again and I suspect ultimately adopted. I have been far more impressed by the ProLife students here who have recently been constructive and worked to secure […]

Anti-Abortion Group Fights for Official Status at Washington U. in St. Louis Law School

October 10, 2002

Double Standard at Washington University, Saint Louis

October 9, 2002

ST. LOUIS, MO—Washington University in Saint Louis, under Chancellor Mark Stephen Wrighton and Law School Dean Joel Seligman, knowingly has permitted an official University agency to deny recognition of a student organization because of the group’s refusal to adopt the University’s political view of the group’s moral mission. “Washington University’s chancellor has condoned intolerable restrictions on freedom of conscience, freedom of association, and freedom of speech. Washington University, known historically as a great center of inquiry and debate, is acting as a politically orthodox campus that denies intellectual pluralism and diversity,” said Alan Charles Kors, president of the Foundation for […]

FIRE’s letter to WUSL Chancellor Mark Stephen Wrighton

September 30, 2002

September 30, 2002 Mark Stephen Wrighton Chancellor, Washington University in St. Louis Chancellor’s Office, Box 1192 One Brookings Drive St. Louis, MO 63130 Dear Chancellor Wrighton, As you can see from our directors and board of advisors, FIRE unites civil rights and civil liberties leaders, scholars, journalists, and public intellectuals across the political and ideological spectrum on behalf of liberty, academic freedom, due process, legal equality and, in the case of Washington University’s Law Students Pro-Life, voluntary association, freedom of speech, and religious liberty on America’s college campuses. Our web page, www.thefire.org, will give you a greater sense of our […]

SBA President Elliott Friedman’s Letter to Law Students Pro-Life

September 10, 2002

—–Original Message—– From: Elliott Friedman [mailto:emfriedm@wulaw.wustl.edu] Sent: Tuesday, September 10, 2002 12:06 AM To: Jordan Siverd Subject: Law Students ProLife Jordan, By a vote of 27-10-1, Law Students ProLife did not pass approval of the Student Bar Association at Washington University School of Law to be considered an active student organization. The representatives of SBA voiced their concern as follows: 1) The title of your organization did not represent adequately the goals and initiatives of the organization. By taking away the “anti-death penalty” issue from your Constitution, several students felt that the organization was not touching on all possible Pro […]