Yellow Light School

Michigan State University

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: Sixth Circuit
Head of Institution: President Lou Anna K Simon
Michigan State University
Office of the President
450 Administration Building
East Lansing, MI 48824
517-355-6560
presmail@msu.edu
Website: http://www.msu.edu

« Return to School Overview

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: Spartan Life Student Handbook: Residence Hall Regulations 12-13

To succeed personally and academically, an individual must be able to live free from unnecessary emotional stress caused by others. Physical or emotional harassment will not be tolerated in a residence hall community.
View full policy (PDF, 213 KB).

Yellow light: Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives: Resource Guide on Prohibited Harassment 12-13

Harassment of any kind occurs when a University community member is subject to unwelcome conduct based on a protected category that: 1. Is objectively and subjectively severe, persistent or pervasive, and; 2. Creates an unreasonable interference with the individual's work or educational experience.
Q: What are the types of conduct that may constitute prohibited harassment?
A: There is not an exhaustive list of the types of conduct that may amount to harassment
based on the different protected categories, but examples include: ... offensive jokes; ... insults or put-downs; offensive objects or pictures....
View full policy (PDF, 1591 KB).

Yellow light: Spartan Life Student Handbook: Anti-Discrimination Policy 12-13

[T]he University community holds itself to certain
standards of conduct more stringent than those mandated by
law. Thus, even if not illegal, acts are prohibited under this
policy if they: ... Harass any University community member(s) on the basis
of age, color, gender, gender identity, disability status,
height, marital status, national origin, political persuasion,
race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or weight.
View full policy (PDF, 41 KB).

Green light: Spartan Life Student Handbook: Policy on Sexual Harassment 12-13

[A] person's subjective belief that behavior is offensive
does not make that behavior sexual harassment. The
behavior must also be objectively unreasonable.
Examples of Sexual Harassment
Many kinds of behavior may fit within the preceding definition
of sexual harassment. The following list is not
exhaustive. ... sexual advances, sexual propositions, or sexual
demands which are not agreeable to both parties; unwelcome and persistent sexually explicit statements
or stories which are not legitimately related to employment
duties, course content, research, or other
University programs or activities
; repeatedly using sexually degrading words or sounds to
describe a person; unwanted and unnecessary touching, patting, hugging,
or other physical contact; recurring comments or questions about an individual's
sexual prowess, sexual deficiencies, or sexual behavior
"Sexual harassment" means unwelcome sexual advances,
unwelcome requests for sexual favors, or other unwelcome
behavior of a sexual nature when: ... such behavior is so severe, persistent, or pervasive that
a reasonable person would find that it:
a) alters the terms or conditions of a person's employment
or educational experience, or
b) unreasonably interferes with an individual's work or
performance in a course, program, or activity, thus
creating a hostile or abusive working or educational
environment.
View full policy (PDF, 479 KB).

Internet Usage Policies

Yellow light: Spartan Life Student Handbook: Appropriate Use of MSU E-mail Services by Internal Users on MSUnet 12-13

Bulk e-mail: The transmission of an identical or substantially identical e-mail message within a 48-hour period from an internal user to more than 10 other internal users who have not elected to receive such e-mail.
Unsolicited E-mail: E-mail received by a person who has not elected to receive the e-mail by having indicated a prior interest and willingness to receive communications from the sender (e.g., having previously sent a communication to the sender to which the sender may be responding; being an acquaintance of the sender; belonging to a set of individuals who have chosen to affiliate and communicate with one another for a particular University purpose). Unsolicited e-mail is often known colloquially as "spam."
The University’s e-mail services are not intended as a forum for the expression of personal opinions.
View full policy (PDF, 316 KB).

Policies on Bias and Hate Speech

Green light: Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives: Bias Incident Reporting 12-13

Bias incidents are incidents of verbal or non-verbal conduct or behavior that is threatening, harassing, intimidating, discriminatory, or hostile and is based on a person's: age, color, disability status, gender, gender identity, height, marital status, national origin, political persuasion, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status or weight.
A bias incident that is not an act of discrimination or harassment prohibited under the Anti-Discrimination Policy may only be recorded for internal monitoring purposes in order to target resources and support to specific areas within campus.
View full policy (PDF, 84 KB).

Advertised Commitments to Free Expression

Green light policy: Spartan Life Student Handbook: Academic Freedom for Students at Michigan State University- Student Rights and Responsibilities 12-13

The basic purposes of the University are the advancement, dissemination, and application of knowledge. The most basic condition for the achievement of these purposes is freedom of expression and communication. Without this freedom, effective sifting and testing of ideas cease, and research, teaching, and learning are stifled. Knowledge is as broad and diverse as life itself, and the need for freedom is equally broad.
View full policy (PDF, 128 KB).

Green light policy: Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives: First Amendment and the Meaning of "Free Speech" 12-13

Regarding free expression, "Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech." The Courts have interpreted the language to mean that no arm of the government, federal or state, can abridge the free speech right. In this context, MSU is an arm of state government.
View full policy (PDF, 134 KB).

Green light policy: Spartan Life Student Handbook: Outside Speakers Sponsored by Registered Student Organizations 12-13

Michigan State University is committed to the principles
of free speech and free expression embodied in the 1st
Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
Freedom of speech is central to academic freedom and
the related notion that a university should be an open
marketplace for the exchange of ideas.
The University also has a longstanding commitment to
the principles of freedom of inquiry and freedom of dissent.
These freedoms are vital to a robust intellectual
exchange and the pursuit of knowledge. Different and
competing views expressed as part of this exchange may
cause discomfort or even offend members of the campus
community. The University does not impose restraints on
speech for these reasons, including the speech of outside
speakers.
View full policy (PDF, 131 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.