University of Missouri and Louisiana State University: Residential Advisors Report Prohibitions on Speaking to Media During COVID-19 Pandemic

In August 2020, as campuses prepared for students to return amid uncertainty about the coronavirus pandemic, RAs at two universities reported that they had been instructed not to speak to journalists. After FIRE wrote letters to the institutions, the University of Missouri pledged to clarify that its policies do not bar student employees from speaking as private citizens. Louisiana State University failed to clarify these reports, and a public records request revealed a media policy directing RAs not to “air your disagreements” with the university while speaking to journalists.