Early Tuesday, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) published an article on its website stating, “Ohio University dorms are no longer censoring students' political speech, freeing students to make their voices heard in the final weeks before Election Day.”
The article referred to an incident in James Hall, when a student was asked by her residential assistant to remove a poster on her door referencing the presidential election.
“Due to the upcoming election I wanted everyone to know that NO political posters/flyers should be hung in the hallways or on (your) door until 14 days before the actual election,” the residential assistant said in an email to residents.
However, according to OU media spokeswoman Katie Quaranta, the policy was meant only to apply to student elections.
“The policy is meant to cover student elections, relates to posting signs in common areas and is not related to local, state or national elections,” Quaranta said in a statement. “The policy does not apply to the exterior of a student’s room door.”
The incident stemmed from a misunderstanding of the policy on the part of the Residential Education staff, she added.
According to the FIRE article, the student received an email Oct. 1 informing her of the misunderstanding and clarifying that she was permitted to post political fliers on her door.
The incident was caused by a misunderstanding, said Ryan Lombardi, interim vice president for Student Affairs.
Administrators are reviewing the policy to clear up the confusion and determine if it is even necessary, he added.
bv111010@ohiou.edu
