Yellow Light School

University of Rochester

Yellow light colleges and universities are those institutions with at least one ambiguous policy that too easily encourages administrative abuse and arbitrary application. Read more here.

Public or Private: Private
Federal Circuit: Second Circuit
Head of Institution: President Joel H Seligman
University of Rochester
Office of the President
240 Wallis Hall
Rochester, NY 14627
585-275-8356
seligman@rochester.edu
Website: http://www.rochester.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: Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment 12-13

Examples of harassment can include, but are not limited to, unwanted physical contact or threats of
physical contact, intimidation, stalking, degrading and derogatory words, graffiti, pictures, jokes, epithets, statements or stereotyping activities as well as other forms of verbal, visual or written
messages of intimidation.
Harassment is (1) any unwanted conduct (2) that is intended to cause or could reasonably be expected
to cause an individual or group to feel intimidated, demeaned, abused or fear or have concern for
their personal safety (3) because of their age, color, disability, ethnicity, marital status, military status,
national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or other status protected by law
or because of their perceived or actual affiliation or association with individuals or groups identified
by such characteristics and (4) that could reasonably be regarded as so severe, persistent, or pervasive
as to disrupt the living, learning, and/or working environment of the individual or group.
View full policy (PDF, 1128 KB).

Yellow light: Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment 12-13

Depending on the circumstances, the following types of behavior may constitute Sexual
Harassment:
* Unwanted comments about an individual's body, clothing or lifestyle that have sexual
implications or demean the individual's sexuality or gender;
* Unwanted sexual flirtations, leering or ogling;
* Unwanted sexual advances and propositions;
* Unwanted display of sexually demeaning objects, pictures or cartoons in areas visible to other
members of the University community;
* Threats or insinuations that an individual's refusal or willingness to submit to sexual advances
will affect the individual's status, evaluation, grades, wages, advancement, duties or career
development;
* Unwanted and intentional sexual touching, patting, pinching, or brushing another's body or
clothing;
* Stalking, telephone or computer harassment, dating violence, sexual assault or date rape.
View full policy (PDF, 1128 KB).

Yellow light: Security Services: Annual Security Report 2012

Depending on the facts and circumstances, any of the following types of
behaviors may either result in complaints of sexual harassment or findings of sexual
harassment. Some also are illegal:
l sexually degrading words or gestures
* verbal sexual abuse or harassment
* offensive sexual graffiti, pictures, or cartoons
* subtle pressure for sexual activity
* leering or ogling
* disparaging remarks to a person about his/her gender or clothing
* unnecessary touching, patting, pinching, or brushing
* stalking, telephone, and/or computer harassment
* forced sexual contact including sexual assault, rape, or date rape
* dating or domestic violence
View full policy (PDF, 8137 KB).

Internet Usage Policies

Yellow light: Policy on Acceptable Use of Information Technology and Resources 12-13

In making acceptable use of resources, individuals covered by this policy must not: ... Use e-mail, social networking sites or tools, or messaging services in violation of laws or regulations or to harass or intimidate another person, for example, by broadcasting unsolicited messages, by repeatedly sending unwanted mail, or by using someone else's name or userid.
View full policy (PDF, 184 KB).

Yellow light: Personal Web Pages 12-13

Any complaints regarding web pages that contain obscene, racist, misleading, or offensive material will be referred to the Assistant Dean of Students Office. The user with these questionable web pages will be allowed to maintain them until a final decision is made by University Administration.
View full policy (PDF, 71 KB).

Advertised Commitments to Free Expression

Green light policy: Undergraduate Student Handbook: Statement of Communal Principles 12-13

The freedom of all people in a community of learning to ask questions and to seek answers is essential and actively encouraged. Each person has the right to learn, teach, and work -- to express themselves through their ideas and activities -- without threat to his or her education or career progress or to that of others. Freedom of expression of ideas and action is not to be limited by acts of intimidation, political or ideological oppression, abuse of authority, or threat of physical harm and well being.
View full policy (PDF, 106 KB).

Green light policy: Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment 12-13

The success of the University of Rochester depends on an environment that fosters vigorous thought
and intellectual creativity. It requires an atmosphere in which diverse ideas can be expressed and
discussed. The University of Rochester seeks to provide a setting that respects the contributions of
all the individuals composing its community, that encourages intellectual and personal development,
and that promotes the free exchange of ideas.
View full policy (PDF, 1128 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 March 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.