Yellow Light School

Indiana University, Northwest

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: Public
Federal Circuit: Seventh Circuit
Head of Institution: Chancellor William J Lowe
Indiana University, Northwest
3400 Broadway
Gary, IN 46408
cbushnel@iun.edu
Website: http://

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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: Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct: Student Responsibilities 12-13

Verbal abuse of another person, including the following:

1. An express or implied threat to:

1. Interfere with an individual’s personal safety, academic efforts, employment, or participation in university-sponsored activities and that under the circumstances causes the person to have a reasonable apprehension that such harm is about to occur; or
2. Injure that person, or damage his or her property; or
2. "Fighting words" that are spoken face-to-face as a personal insult to the listener or listeners in personally abusive language inherently likely to provoke a violent reaction by the listener or listeners to the speaker.
View full policy (PDF, 178 KB).

Green light: Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct: Student Rights- Right to Freedom from Harassment 12-13

Discriminatory harassment is defined as conduct that targets an individual based upon age, color, religion, disability, race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, or veteran’s status and that adversely affects a term or condition of an individual’s education, housing, or participation in a university activity; or has the purpose or effect of unreasonably creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment for academic pursuits, housing, or participation in university activities.
Sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, including requests for sexual favors and other unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature, when submission to such conduct is made, either explicitly or implicitly, a term or condition of a student’s education, or submission to or rejection of such conduct by a student is used as the basis for academic conditions affecting the student; or the conduct has the effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s academic performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive learning environment.
View full policy (PDF, 75 KB).

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

Yellow light: Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct: Preamble 12-13

A student who accepts admission to Indiana University agrees to: ... behave in a manner that is respectful of the dignity of others, treating others with civility and understanding ....
View full policy (PDF, 64 KB).

Posting Policies

Yellow light: Office of Student Life & Athletics: Display of Material Rules & Regulations 12-13

POSTINGS THAT ADVERTISE ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, DRUGS, IMPLY ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ILLEGAL GAMBLING, ILLICIT DRUG USE, UNDERAGE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION, ETC.), OR HAVE SEXUALLY SUGGESTIVE OR HARASSING CONTENT ARE NOT PERMITTED UNDER ANY CONDITIONS. CLUBS, ORGANIZATIONS, OR INDIVIDUALS WHOSE POSTINGS DO NOT ADHERE TO THE STATED REGULATIONS, MAY BE SUBJECT TO UNIVERSITY DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS AND/OR LEGAL ACTIONS.
View full policy (PDF, 82 KB).

Advertised Commitments to Free Expression

Green light policy: Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct: Student Rights- Right to Freedom of Association, Expression, Advocacy and Publication 12-13

In accordance with the state and federal Constitution and university policy, the university recognizes the rights of all students to engage in discussion, to express thoughts and opinions, and to assemble, speak, write, publish or invite speakers on any subject without university interference or fear of university disciplinary action.
View full policy (PDF, 73 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 September 2012. 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.