Posted on 11/02/2016 7:15:15 AM PDT by reaganaut1
Just how desperately college and university administrators want to control what students say lest anyone take offense or feel “harassed” is revealed by a policy adopted at Iowa State University (ISU).
ISU students are told that they must abide by the school’s policy against “harassment” of anyone in the university community. Students must complete a “training program” consisting of 118 slides online, covering the university’s non-harassment policies and procedures, and then pledge never to violate them.
But what if a student thinks that the ISU policy goes way beyond preventing true harassment and amounts to an abridgement of his rights under the First Amendment?
In that case, ISU reserves the right to withhold the student’s degree. So either the student agrees to abide by the policy even though it may well keep him from speaking out as he’d like to, or have his academic work go for naught. This is the exact dilemma an ISU student, Robert Dunn finds himself in.
He regarded the ISU strictures against harassment to be so sweeping and vague that he couldn’t pledge never to say anything that might violate them.
Particularly troubling was the language that the rules “may cover those activities which, although not severe, persistent, or pervasive enough to meet the legal definition of harassment, are unacceptable…” and that “even First Amendment protected speech activities” may constitute harassment “depending on the circumstances,” including whether other students believe the speech is not “legitimate,” not “necessary,” or lacks a “constructive purpose.”
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
Sounds like there is a firm foundation for a lawsuit, and firings, and withdrawal of alumni support.
The 21st century version of loyalty oaths.
College itself represents the greatest obstacles to Freedom. Close the damned universities.
In addition to the lawsuit already filled, he should file a harassment complaint against the university on the grounds that their policy is "not legitimate, not necessary and lacks a constructive purpose." Hoist them on their own petard.
That is horrible, thought police stuff. Sue and hope you win.
Indeed. I know a few Iowa Stae alumni and they are all quite conservative.
Sounds like a Multi Million Dollar lawsuit for FRAUD.
Same policy where I work. Instead of no degree, there is discipline.
That’s the problem - most land-grant university alumni are conservative. Yet, while they are living life, their former school has gone over to the dark side with the help of light-in-the-loafers academics and those who benefit from keeping things stirred up. This would include the likes of the newest staff member of most university executive staffs, the Chief Diversity Officer.
Celebrate Diversity, not.
QUOTE THE DAY, at Forbes is an interesting choice.
“The important work of moving the world forward does not wait to be done by perfect men.”
Mary Ann Evans
Harassment of students by the “university,” if you ask me.
They have no right to suppress your free speech rights. Protest! Take them down! Sit-ins in the administration building!
Enough of this oppressive crap.
Students should Transfer. Transferring damages universities because they lose the alumni giving.
I searched and searched through the 1st Amendment as it is written in my copy of the Constitution of the United States of America, and I cannot find the words "legitimate", "necessary" or "constructive".
“College itself represents the greatest obstacles to Freedom. Close the damned universities.”
Totally agree.
Students are required to take global warming and other enviro-nazi classes. They must write papers that support the liberal positions in order to earn grades for the credits.
Liberals demand obedience to their views in these and other classes or else students flunk.
I am an ISU grad and I will be contacting them to let them know how what I think about this. I would encourage any other ISU grads to do the same.
Next thing they’ll try is to revoke someone’s degree if they speak out in the future.
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