Red Light School

Middle Tennessee State University

A red light university has at least one policy that both clearly and substantially restricts freedom of speech. Read more here.

Public or Private: Public
Federal Circuit: Sixth Circuit
Head of Institution: President Sidney McPhee
Middle Tennessee State University
1301 East Main Street,
Murfreesboro, TN 37132
615-898-2622
smcphee@mtsu.edu
Website: http://www.mtsu.edu

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Do you have any information, updates, or changes regarding the policies at this institution? Let us know!

On this page, FIRE has excerpted policies that address speech and expression. You may download the full policy in .pdf form, below.

Restrictions on Expressive Rights

Harassment Policies (Learn More)

Yellow light: Student Disciplinary Policy 12-13

Conduct Dangerous to Self or Others. Any conduct, or attempted conduct, which
constitutes a danger to any person’s health, safety, or personal well-being, including,
but not limited to, the following:
1. Physical and/or verbal abuse ....
View full policy (PDF, 546 KB).

Red light: Discrimination and Harassment: Complaint and Investigation Procedure 12-13

Harassment is conduct that is based on a person’s race, color, religion, creed, ethic or national
origin, sex, sexual orientation/gender identity/expression, disability, age (as applicable), status as
a covered veteran, genetic information, or any other category protected by federal or state civil
rights law, that: ... Has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s
employment or academic performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, offensive
or abusive environment to the individual
Examples of such conduct include, but are not limited to verbal or physical conduct relating to an
employee’s national origin, race, surname, skin color or accent, offensive or derogatory jokes
based on a protected category, racial or ethnic slurs, pressure for dates or sexual favors,
unwelcome comments about a person’s religion or religious garments, offensive graffiti,
cartoons or pictures, or offensive remarks about a person’s age.
Examples of sexual harassment include, but are not limited to, the following: ... Sexual innuendoes, comments, and remarks about a person’s clothing, body, or
activities; ... Humor and jokes about sex that denigrate men or women; ... Suggestive or inappropriate acts, such as comments, innuendoes, or physical contact
based on one’s actual or perceived sexual orientation and/or gender
identity/expression.
View full policy (PDF, 737 KB).

Yellow light: Judicial Affairs and Mediation Services: Harassment- Sexual and Racial 12-13

Generally, harassment may be defined as verbal or physical conduct by a person or group of persons which interferes with a student's academic performance or causes discomfort in the work setting or classroom. The behavior must be persistent, pervasive, and/or prevalent.
View full policy (PDF, 377 KB).

Policies on Tolerance, Respect, and Civility (Learn More)

Yellow light: Judicial Affairs: Disruptive Behavior 12-13

In an effort to educate our campus community about what constitutes disruptive behavior, we have provided examples below. ... writing inappropriate messages on bulletin boards.
View full policy (PDF, 349 KB).

Policies Restricting Freedom of Conscience (Learn More)

Yellow light: Judicial Affairs & Mediation Services: Statement of Community Standards of Civil Behavior 12-13

The choice to associate one's self with this fellowship of scholars is freely made by each participant but obligates those who do join to observe the following expectations for civilized conduct within the MTSU community: ... disdain for bigotry and hatred expressed in any form or medium and directed toward identifiable groups or individuals in the community; tolerance for the convictions and opinions of others, even when not in agreement with one's own beliefs ....
View full policy (PDF, 367 KB).

Internet Usage Policies

Yellow light: Student Disciplinary Policy 12-13

Misusing and/ or abusing campus resources including but not limited to the following: ... Use of computing resources and facilities to send abusive or obscene correspondence ....
View full policy (PDF, 546 KB).

NOTE: You must have Adobe Acrobat installed to view policies in PDF format.

The speech codes and policies above were last fully checked via internet and other research means by FIRE in January 2013. According to FIRE’s research the substantive policies are current at least until this date. Directory information, including the name of the president of the college or university, may have been updated more recently. If any policy has been revised, or if you believe that we are in error, please contact us.