thefire.org

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale: Free Speech Crisis Over Unconstitutional Policies

To cover up a free speech crisis on his campus, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale's chancellor has resorted to deceit. SIUC Chancellor Samuel Goldman called documented claims about SIUC's unconstitutional policies "baseless," attacked FIRE in false and misleading public statements, and strongly defended SIUC's Protest Policy despite actually changing the policy in response to a detailed letter from FIRE, the Southern Illinois Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Illinois Association of Scholars challenging SIUC's manifestly unconstitutional free speech zone.]

Case Materials

• "Deceit at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale as Chancellor Tries to Cover Up Free Speech Crisis," January 13, 2009: To cover up a free speech crisis on his campus, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale's chancellor has resorted to deceit. SIUC Chancellor Samuel Goldman called documented claims about SIUC's unconstitutional policies "baseless," attacked FIRE in false and misleading public statements, and strongly defended SIUC's Protest Policy despite actually changing the policy in response to a detailed letter from FIRE, the Southern Illinois Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Illinois Association of Scholars challenging SIUC's manifestly unconstitutional free speech zone.
• "Revised Protest and Speech Policies at Southern Illinois University–Carbondale," January 13, 2009
• "Comparison of Old and New Protest and Speech Policies at Southern Illinois University–Carbondale," January 13, 2009
• "Letter to FIRE from Southern Illinois University Carbondale Chancellor Samuel Goldman," January 7, 2009
• "FIRE Letter to Southern Illinois University Carbondale Chancellor Samuel Goldman Regarding Speech Policies," December 22, 2008
• "FIRE Letter to Southern Illinois University Carbondale Chancellor Samuel Goldman Regarding "Red Light" Rating," December 17, 2008

Blog Entries

• "SIUC's Sexual Harassment Policy Badly Needs Revision," by Adam Kissel, April 8, 2010
• "February 2009: Southern Illinois University at Carbondale," by Samantha Harris, February 5, 2009: FIRE announces its Speech Code of the Month for February 2009: Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). FIRE, along with the heads of the Illinois Association of Scholars and the ACLU of Southern Illinois, recently wrote to SIUC Chancellor Sam Goldman regarding the university's free speech zone policy. In response Chancellor Goldman lashed out, erroneously alleging that FIRE had given SIUC its "red light" rating because of its proposed sexual harassment policy rather than for its many existing policies that violate the First Amendment. One of those policies, the Policy on Non-Discrimination and Non-Harassment, prohibits (among other things) all "objectionable epithets" and "demeaning depictions." This policy explicitly prohibits constitutionally protected speech, since most "demeaning depictions," such as parodies and satires, are protected by the First Amendment.
• "At SIUC, Faculty, Graduate Student, and Staff Unions Push Back Against Proposed Sexual Harassment Policy," by William Creeley, January 21, 2009
• "SIUC Administrators Hypocritically Ask FIRE to “Reserve Judgment”," January 15, 2009
• "SIUC ‘Daily Egyptian’ on FIRE’s Press Release," by Samantha Harris, January 15, 2009
• "Deceit at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale as Chancellor Tries to Cover Up Free Speech Crisis," by Adam Kissel, January 13, 2009
• "Attention, Chancellor Goldman: Here’s Why SIUC is a “Red Light” School ," by Samantha Harris, January 13, 2009

Media Coverage

• "Rights of the Accused,"
  by Steve Kolowich, Inside Higher Ed, February 12, 2010
• "SIUC officials say policies need time before judgments are passed,"
  by Adam Testa, Southern Illinoisan, January 14, 2009
• "FIRE responds aggressively against chancellor's defense,"
  by Brian Feldt, Daily Egyptian, January 13, 2009
• "SIUC says speech policy is consistent,"
  by Adam Testa, Southern Illinoisan, January 13, 2009
• "Goldman refutes claim against SIUC free speech policies,"
  by Adam Testa, Southern Illinoisan, January 12, 2009
• "SIU to answer free-speech complaint by Monday,"
  by Adam Testa, Southern Illinoisan, January 8, 2009