Red Light School

Northern Illinois 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: Seventh Circuit
Head of Institution: President John G Peters
Northern Illinois University
Office of the President
Lowden Hall 301
Dekalb, IL 60115
815-753-9500
jpeters@niu.edu
Website: http://www.niu.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)

Green light: Student Code of Conduct: Abuse (Physical, Verbal, and Threats) 12-13

Persistent, severe, and/or pervasive abuse, threats, intimidation, coercion,
bullying and/or other conduct which threatens or endangers the mental or physical health
or safety of any person or causes reasonable apprehension of such harm.
View full policy (PDF, 78 KB).

Green light: Student Handbook: Policy Statement on Sexual Assault, Prohibited Sexual Contact, Stalking, Dating and Domestic Violence 12-13

Abusive behavior: ... Persistent, severe, and/or pervasive threats of abuse, intimidation, coercion, bullying and/or other conduct that threatens or endangers the mental or physical health or safety of any person or causes reasonable apprehension of such harm.
Sexual Harassment: Occurs when sexual behavior or requests for sexual favors are made either explicitly or implicitly as a term or condition of employment or educational performance, or are made as the basis of employment or academic decisions affecting the individual as an employee or a student, or have the express purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual’s work/academic performance or create an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or academic environment.
View full policy (PDF, 548 KB).

Yellow light: Student Code of Conduct: Harassment 12-13

Acts of harassment include the use of words or actions that persistently and
wrongfully attack another person. The unwanted communication must be objectively
offensive to a reasonable person before it may be considered actionable harassment.
View full policy (PDF, 78 KB).

Red light: Non-Discrimination/Harassment Policy 12-13

Examples of age related discrimination includes, but is not limited to, characterizations,
stereotypes, jokes, or insults regarding the employee's/student's age, poor health, and/or
medical conditions, forced retirement, and the use of any derogatory terms regarding age.
Policy Violation on the basis of Sexual Orientation - occurs when employment/academic
decisions are based upon or biased because the employee's/student's sexual orientation is or
is perceived to be heterosexual, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. Examples of conduct
prohibited by this policy includes, but is not limited to, offensive language, mockery, verbal
threats, damage to personal property, and physical violence or harassment.
Policy Violation on the basis of Race - occurs when differences in employment/academic
decisions are based upon the employee's/student's race. Conduct prohibited by this policy
includes, but is not limited to, the use of racial slurs, graffiti, or ethnic jokes that create a
hostile or abusive working environment.

Typically, a hostile environment is created only when the discrimination or harassment is
severe and alters the conditions of the victim's employment/academic environment. The
occasional improper comment and/or joke, generally, will not create such a hostile
environment and/or be indicative of racial discrimination unless such conduct is severe,
pervasive, and/or occurs on a frequent basis.
View full policy (PDF, 2591 KB).

Red light: Non-Discrimination/Harassment Policy 12-13

Policy Violation on the basis of Sexual Harassment - occurs when sexual behavior or requests for sexual favors: ... Have the express purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual's work/academic performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive working academic environment.
In order for the conduct to be considered sexual harassment, the behavior must be:
* Unwanted or unwelcome;
* Sexual in nature or related to the sex or gender of the employee/student;
* Sufficiently severe or pervasive to alter the conditions of the recipient's employment or education.
Examples of sexual harassment in employment or education include, but are not limited to, uninvited sexual comments or innuendo, oral, written, or electronic communications that are sexually explicit in nature or sexually explicit questions, jokes, or anecdotes about gender-specific traits.
View full policy (PDF, 2591 KB).

Red light: Guidepost: Discrimination and Harassment 12-13

Harassment of individuals, especially based on race, ethnicity, religion,
gender, sexual orientation, or disability will not be tolerated in University
residence halls or by the University in general.
Such harassment is defined as acting or communicating in a manner
that intentionally harasses, coerces, intimidates, threatens, or seriously
embarrasses any persons, especially on the basis of race, ethnicity,
religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.
View full policy (PDF, 139 KB).

Free Speech Zones

Yellow light: Solicitation/Free Speech Area Policy 12-13

Northern Illinois University policy prohibits solicitation or leafleting anywhere on campus
with the exception of the Free Speech Area on the Martin Luther King Commons, between
the Holmes Student Center and Founder's Library. ... All wishing to use the Free Speech
Area must notify Student Involvement & Leadership Development ....
View full policy (PDF, 29 KB).

Internet Usage Policies

Yellow light: Acceptable Use Policy 12-13

Unacceptable uses include, but are not limited to, the following: ... Sending or storing for retrieval patently harassing, intimidating, or abusive material.
View full policy (PDF, 103 KB).

Advertised Commitments to Free Expression

Green light policy: Office of Community Standards & Student Conduct: Policy Concerning Demonstrations 12-13

The university respects the rights, accorded to all persons by the Constitution, to
freedom of speech, peaceable assembly, petition, and association.
View full policy (PDF, 85 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.