c/banned-on-campus

17

ryang77•2h ago

PSA at my university: took me 3 years to figure out the guest speaker policy

I ran into a problem trying to book a speaker for my student group. The policy says you just email the dean's office 2 weeks ahead. But nobody tells you the real rule is you actually need a faculty sponsor and a security deposit of $200. It took me 3 years and 4 rejected requests to finally get that answer from a secretary who felt bad for me. Has anyone else found hidden rules like this at their school?

2

river_scott•9h ago

History prof got fired for a quote from a primary source

I was talking to a buddy who teaches at a community college in Ohio last week. He said his department head cut a lecture on Reconstruction because a student complained about a word in a 1865 newspaper article. Has anyone else seen admin just gut historical material like that?

26

jaken23•1d ago

The one professor who shut down my Holocaust discussion question

Back in 2019 at a state school in Ohio, I asked my history prof why we weren't covering the role of collaborationist governments in occupied Europe. She got real quiet, then told me the topic was 'too sensitive for a 200-level class.' I pressed her on it after class and she snapped that I was being disruptive. Still bugs me how a college history course can just skip parts of history because they make people uncomfortable. Has anyone else had a teacher dodge a topic like that?

8

knight.diana•5d ago

Took me 2 years to realize my college's free speech zone was basically the parking lot behind the science building

I kept trying to hand out flyers about the student walkout near the main quad and got told to move three times by campus security. Finally dug through the student handbook and found out the only place we could talk without permission was a 20 foot strip of asphalt behind the old chem building that floods every time it rains. Has anyone else found their school's approved speech area to be basically unusable?

1

sarah198•5d ago

Heard a teaching assistant say free speech is a privilege, not a right

I overheard a TA in the history lounge tell a freshman that free speech is a privilege universities give you, not something you're born with. That really got under my skin because it flips the whole First Amendment idea on its head. We have it specifically to protect unpopular views, not just the comfortable ones. Has anyone else run into faculty framing free speech as a campus favor instead of a constitutional protection?

10

ramirez.sage•6d ago

Skeptical of Trigger Warnings Until a Classmate's Panic Attack Changed My Mind

I used to roll my eyes at trigger warnings in college syllabi, thinking they were coddling us. Then last semester in my sociology class at UCLA, a student had a full panic attack during a lecture on campus assault stats (the professor hadn't warned us). That moment made me realize they're not about sheltering people, they're about giving folks a heads up to brace themselves. Has anyone else switched sides on this after seeing it play out?

1

milar46•6d ago

Just realized that free speech event I rolled my eyes at actually got shut down for real

Back in October at my school in Texas, the Young Americans for Liberty group was hosting a debate on immigration. I figured it'd be another boring club meeting where nobody shows up. But admin stepped in 2 hours before and canceled it saying they didn't have the right permit for the room. The host posted the email chain and it was legit. Made me wonder how many other events just get quietly killed like that. Anyone else seen permits used as a shutdown tool?

25

barbara_taylor83•9d ago

Got my campus group shut down for handing out a booklet last fall

I tried to table for about 3 hours near the student union giving away a small booklet on free speech and the history of campus restrictions... a dean came by and said I needed prior approval for any 'expressive materials'. They closed our table down after 45 minutes total. Has anyone else had a group stopped for something as simple as a pamphlet or flyer?

20

baker.ben•25d ago

That campus speech zone policy hit me different after a real argument

Last semester at Ohio State I was tabling for a student group and a guy came up screaming at me about something totally unrelated. The admin told me I had to stay in this tiny 10x10 zone or I'd get written up. Meanwhile he could follow me around the whole quad yelling. It clicked for me that these policies don't protect anyone, they just control who gets to talk back. Has anyone else seen a free speech zone used to shut down one side in a dispute?

23

the_jenny•26d ago

Hit 50 formal complaints my sophomore year and it made me pause

I was in a political science class back in 2018 at a school in Ohio and kept getting shut down for bringing up historical examples that contradicted the lecture. By the end of the year I had filed 50 formal complaints about discussion policies, which felt like a lot for one person. Has anyone else kept track of how many times they were told to stop talking in a class?

6

nina_clark•26d ago

Noticed professors labeling debate as 'harm' in my psychology 101 class

Tbh I keep seeing teachers shut down discussions by calling them 'potentially harmful' before anyone even speaks. In my intro psych class last month, the professor said we couldn't discuss a study on gender differences because it might 'create a hostile environment.' Has anyone else had a class where they just assume what you'll say is bad?

13

jackson.jenny•26d ago

Got shut down for mentioning a different viewpoint in a sociology lecture last fall

I was in a Sociology 101 class at the community college in Spokane, and the professor was going on about how all police interactions are inherently racist. I raised my hand and asked if maybe the data could also show something about crime rates by neighborhood, and before I finished my sentence she told me to 'stay on topic' and moved on. Why is it that asking a simple question gets you treated like a problem?

20

claire64•26d ago

Banned from a college forum for asking a simple question about textbook prices

I asked in a student Facebook group why we needed a $400 calculus book when the PDF was free online. The mods deleted my post and gave me a 30 day ban. Has anyone else been shut down for just asking about cheaper alternatives?

13

clark.iris•28d ago

Can we talk about that classroom debate over climate change at my college?

I used to think any talk about climate change in class was just political opinions being forced on us. But last semester at my community college in Ohio, a professor showed us actual data from NOAA graphs over 50 years. She didn't tell us what to think, just asked us to look at the numbers ourselves. That moment hit me hard because I realized I'd been dismissing facts without checking them first. Now I see why some schools want to limit certain discussions, but I changed my stance when I saw the evidence myself. Has anyone else had a teacher crack their view with hard numbers?

14

abby_henderson•1mo ago

Spent $40 on a campus speech recording and it backfired hard

I paid forty bucks for a copy of the audio from a student talk that got shut down by admin last fall at my school in Phoenix. Thought I could share it online to prove what happened, but the recording was so grainy and cut off that people accused me of editing it. Ended up debating strangers for a week instead of actually discussing the speaker's points. Has anyone else spent money on documentation that just made things worse?

32

noahjenkins•1mo ago

TIL I was the problem in class debates not the professor

It took a guest speaker calling me out in front of 40 people last spring for me to realize I had been interrupting women and minority students without even noticing for two whole semesters, anyone else have a moment where they were the one stifling speech without realizing it?

4

hayden587•1mo ago

A professor in my philosophy 101 class made me flip on free speech

She pointed out that my 'all speech is free' stance ignored how threats and harassment actually shut down other people's voices. After she gave the example of a student being shouted down during a campus talk in 2019, I started seeing the difference between debate and intimidation. Has anyone else had a teacher change their whole view on this?

12

kai_bennett•1mo ago

Got shut down for quoting a Supreme Court case in a Poli Sci seminar

Last semester at University of Montana, I cited Citizens United during a debate on campaign finance and the TA told me I was 'promoting corporate personhood' and cut me off. She gave me a warning for 'disruptive speech' after class. Has anyone else been silenced for just referencing legal precedent?

13

spencer_moore39•1mo ago

Watched a guest speaker get shut down at community college in Tucson last spring

I used to think campus free speech rules meant anyone could talk, but last April a local historian got cut off mid sentence for mentioning a controversial date about a mining strike. The moderator literally pulled the mic after 4 minutes and said we were running out of time, but the schedule showed 20 more minutes. Has anyone else seen a speaker get silenced for historical facts like that?

26

the_tara•1mo ago

I used to think free speech zones were fine until I got stuck in one at Ohio State

Back in 2019 I went to Ohio State for a buddy's graduation and wandered into their free speech zone near the Oval. I was just holding a sign about roof safety standards for student workers. Campus security told me I couldn't stand there unless I registered 3 days in advance. I argued for like 10 minutes and they threatened to call the cops. That moment made me realize those zones aren't about protecting anyone, they're just a way to shut you up before you even start. Has anyone else had campus security give you the runaround for something harmless?

11

hugo236•1mo ago

TIL I was citing a banned source for months in my poli sci class

Last semester in my Intro to American Gov class at University of Oregon, I kept using a think tank report for my papers. The professor never said anything until I turned in my final draft and she flagged it as a banned source. Turns out the website was listed as a hate group by the SPLC and I had no idea. How do you guys check if a source is actually allowed before you start writing?

2

ryan_clark40•1mo ago

Found a loophole in my college's free speech policy that actually worked

My school at Ohio State had a rule saying no 'disruptive' chalk messages, so they banned anything political. I started writing mine with washable chalk right before 5pm and the grounds crew never got to them until next morning. Has anyone else found a weird workaround for your campus speech rules?

25

jesse_cooper•1mo ago

Last week my debate club got shut down for a 'fire code' excuse

We had 12 people in a room rated for 30 and the admin still said we were a 'crowd risk' and kicked us out. I ended up just hosting it in the parking lot behind the library. Has anyone else dealt with admin suddenly finding new rules to stop your group from meeting?

8

matthewh28•1mo ago

Pro tip: Saved $60 by not buying the campus speech permit

At Southern State College last fall, the admin said I needed a $60 permit to hand out flyers about the free speech event. I paid it, showed up, and they still said my table was in a 'protest-free zone'. Got my money back after three emails but the event was dead. Anyone else get burned by letting the school process your money before checking the rules?

30

lily97•1mo ago

TIL my community college had a secret speech code hidden in the student handbook

I always thought my community college in Phoenix was pretty open about letting people talk. Then last spring I got a warning for handing out flyers about a union meeting for house cleaners. The dean told me I violated a policy about 'solicitation' that I never even knew existed. I dug through the student handbook online and found a whole section banning any 'controversial speech' on campus unless approved three days in advance. That really opened my eyes to how colleges can quietly restrict what you say without you knowing. Has anyone else found weird rules like that buried in their school's paperwork?