Oklahoma State University sued over policies that punish students for 'opinionated' views
A college free speech advocacy organization is suing Oklahoma State University (OSU) over policies that they argue deter, suppress and punish students for constitutionally protected speech regarding political and social issues.
Speech First filed a lawsuit Tuesday against OSU challenging three of its speech policies they claim are designed to chill and silence student speech, which is in turn a violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendment rights of students, according to the lawsuit.
"These policies not only force students to censor themselves when they interact with one another, but they also put students in the mindset that they should be offended by the opinions of others they disagree with, and that by committing the offense of being ‘bias,’ or what most of us may just call ‘being opinionated,’ warrants disciplinary action against you," Executive Director of Speech First Cherise Trump said.
OSU learned about the lawsuit through the media, but said it would be carefully reviewing the complaint, according to a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
"Oklahoma State University values and cherishes everyone’s right of free expression on campus as an essential pillar of democracy," the statement said. "The free exchange of ideas and opinions is part of the educational experience and fosters excellent critical thinking insight."
"We respect different viewpoints and strive to promote healthy and considerate discussion," the statement added. "As a matter of course, it is inappropriate to comment on pending litigation."
One of the policies at issue in Speech First's lawsuit is the bias-incidents policy that allows students to file reports against their peers for their "bias" and includes speech both on and off campus, as well as on social media, according to the lawsuit. Bias is defined by OSU as "a disproportionate weight in favor of or against an idea or thing, usually in a way that is close-minded, prejudicial, or unfair."
Because bias is defined so broadly, "speech is often labeled ‘biased’ based solely on the listener’s subjective reaction to it," Speech First said in a press release.
Students have been reported for actions like, writing a satirical article about "safe spaces," tweeting "#BlackLivesMatter," chalking "Build the Wall" on a sidewalk and for expressing support of President Donald Trump, according to the lawsuit. Members of bias-response teams are responsible for logging the incident, investigating the situation, meeting with relevant parties and attempting to "reeducate" the "offender," which can result in formal or informal discipline, according to the lawsuit.
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