In January 2020, Speech First, a national membership group of students, alumni, and others that defends free speech on campus, sued Iowa State University (ISU) over three policies: a ban on chalking messages on campus sidewalks, a ban on student emails about political campaigns and elections, and the school’s Campus Climate Reporting System, which let students report each other for “biased” speech.
Soon after the lawsuit was filed, ISU dropped its ban on political emails and its chalking ban. Now all students may chalk in certain areas, no matter their viewpoint. In this settlement agreement, ISU promises never to bring back the policies Speech First challenged. The school also agreed that its Campus Climate Reporting System will not contact or meet with students accused of “biased” speech. Speech First kept the right to challenge the reporting system again, and to challenge the new chalking policy if it is used to chill speech.
“Speech First is pleased that Iowa State University has agreed to repeal and never reinstate the policies we challenged, which clearly violated the First Amendment rights of its students,” said president Nicole Neily. “Our student members at Iowa State University deserve major credit for their vigilance in defense of their rights, and I have no doubt that if the University’s new policies are used to chill students’ speech in the future, our members will notify us immediately.”
“It’s unfortunate that the school changed its policies only after the Iowa caucuses, impacting students’ ability to fully participate in that important process. These students deserved better, and parents who are considering where to send their students to ISU in the future should bear that in mind.”
Read the full settlement agreement below:
