c/banned-on-campus

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

My professor refused to let me present my research on local zoning disputes, said it was too 'divisive' for a public speaking class.

It happened last Tuesday in a community college in Portland, and I just stood there for 10 seconds before packing up my slides, since when is arguing about where a new apartment building goes considered dangerous speech?

Comparison of old campus speech codes vs the new ones at my school in Ohio

I went to Ohio State back in 2005 and we had a free speech zone the size of a postage stamp near the student union. You had to register 48 hours ahead to say anything controversial. My nephew just started there and says the new policy lets you talk anywhere on campus but they can still shut you down if a bunch of students complain. From what I've seen, the old rule was at least clear cut even if it was annoying. The new one feels more like they can pick and choose depending on who yells loudest. Has anyone else noticed this shift at their old college?

Tried to put up a small sign about a banned author talk... and it worked?

After the university in my town blocked a speaker on campus, a few of us printed maybe 50 simple flyers with just the author's name and the title of his banned book. We put them on bulletin boards around the student union early one morning... expecting them to be gone by lunch. A week later, over half were still up, and I saw three different people stop to take a picture of one. It made me realize sometimes the quietest pushback is the one they don't even notice to stop. Has anyone else had a tiny, simple action get a bigger reaction than they planned?

I was handing out flyers for a campus debate on fossil fuels. A security guard told me I needed a permit from the student activities office. I had to take them all down. The office said the topic was 'too divisive' and could 'cause disruption'. This was at a state school in Ohio just last semester.

Got a flyer pulled for a campus event about rent control

Our student group put up posters for a talk on housing costs in Berkeley. Campus staff took them all down within an hour, saying we needed a permit we'd never heard of. Has anyone else had an event shut down before it even started?

Vent: Our campus paper pulled my op-ed about the 2016 election results the morning it was set to print.

I wrote a piece saying we should listen to the other side's voters, not just call them names. The editor told me it was 'too divisive' and could 'cause disruption.' Back then, that kind of preemptive shutdown was a big surprise. Now, looking at how many speaker events get canceled over security concerns, it feels like that was just the start. Has anyone else had a piece killed for just trying to bridge a divide?