Central Michigan University: Abridgement of Freedom to Display Patriotic Symbols

At Central Michigan University, an administrator told several students to remove various patriotic posters (an American flag, an eagle, etc.) from their dormitory. On October 8, a Residential Advisor told them that their display was "offensive," and that they had until the end of the day to remove the items. As one student said, "American flags or pictures that were pro-American had to be taken down because they were offensive to people." FIRE brought the case to the attention of CMU's President, Michael Rao and soon after, the University reaffirmed its obligations to the First Amendment and expressed regret at the actions of some residential dormitory staff.