University Trademarks and “Mixed Speech” on College Campuses: A Case Study of Gerlich v. Leath and Student Free Speech Rights

Higher education has long been a fundamental building block upon which American democracy is based. The guarantee of free speech is itself a revered liberty in the American polity; it has, in turn, served as the catalyst for higher education. Recent events on college campuses continue to reexamine universities’ role in their students’ education and push the legal boundaries on student speech rights. In many instances, however, students’ speech and expressive viewpoint conflicts with that of other students. Other times, students’ speech conflicts with the expressive interests of their university. This Article examines the latter instance in the context of university trademarks. Gerlich v. Leath, a recent decision by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, serves as a case study to elaborate on the complexities that arise when analyzing free speech rights in instances where students’ expressive interests often compete with, and sometimes conflict with, those of public colleges and universities.

Healthy and health promoting colleges - an evidence base

A report from a study which aimed to identify sources of evidence about existing initiatives which aim to promote physical and emotional health and well-being of young people (aged 14-19) within further education settings in England (or comparable college settings in other countries). Specifically, the study addressed the following questions, 1. What is known about the health-related needs, interests and concerns of young people attending colleges of further education in England? 2. What is known about current ‘healthy college’ provision to promote the health and well-being of students attending colleges of further education? 3. What are seen to be successful and promising approaches to health promotion among younger students attending colleges of further education (or comparable types of educational settings in other countries – such as community colleges)? What approaches show little or no promise? 4. What is known about whether certain types of approaches are more useful for particular groups of students (such as young men, young women or students with disabilities or learning difficulties), or for particular health issues (such as sexual health, smoking cessation or emotional well-being)? 5. Given what is known, what does this suggest for the development of programmes to promote health and well-being in further education (FE) college settings in England

Free Speech, Public Safety, & Controversial Speakers: Balancing Universities\u27 Dual Roles After Charlottesville

(Excerpt) This Note seeks to develop an approach to hateful and controversial speech that protects First Amendment values and students alike. Part I discusses the legal backdrop and First Amendment tradition that underlies a permissive view of hateful speech on university campuses. Part I also discusses the roots of time, place, and manner regulations and the public forum doctrine, both of which recent legislation invokes. Part II provides a timeline of events that have highlighted the tension between free speech and public safety on campuses. Part II also discusses the eruption of legislation that these events inspired. Finally, Part III recommends provisions that bills of this type can include, as well as provisions that these bills should avoid. Part III proposes a more effective form that recent legislation can take, which better balances universities’ dual roles

Exploring the equity climate of construction education in the land grant system: a mixed methods study

2020 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.In the United States, there is a documented demand for educated construction managers, and a bachelor's degree in a construction-related field offers the best prospects for entry into the profession. Furthermore, the construction management profession is projected to grow through 2026, while offering higher than average salaries and an increased prospect for employment when compared to other professions. Despite the demand for educated professionals, the construction management profession is White male-dominated and would benefit from a more gender and ethnically diverse workforce. Given the potential benefits of a more diverse construction workforce and the importance of a bachelor's degree for entering the profession, construction education programs (e.g., construction management, construction engineering, etc.) at colleges and universities are strategically situated to drive a diversity shift within the industry. This is particularly true at land grant universities that are tasked with creating educational opportunities and access for those who have been traditionally underserved in higher education. This dissertation evaluates the equity climate of undergraduate construction education programs housed in land grant universities. In particular, this dissertation focuses on equity disparities between women and Latinxs, and their respective counterparts, as these two groups have the highest potential to meet the growing demand for construction managers while also increasing the diversity levels of the construction management workforce. Utilizing a convergent mixed methods design, this dissertation is comprised of three semi-autonomous studies, each designed to evaluate a particular aspect of educational equity. In the first study, enrollment and retention rates, interdepartmental migration patterns, student satisfaction levels, and the graduation success outcomes of undergraduate students enrolled in a large land grant university construction education program were evaluated. Results indicated many noteworthy trends and equity gaps exist, suggesting that the construction education program of interest would be well served to better support female and Latinx students in addition to minority, Pell eligible, and first generation students. In the second study, a case study is presented which compared current (2010 to 2017) and historic (1990 to 2009) enrollment trends and academic success outcomes (e.g., GPA and graduation rates) for undergraduate Latinx and women student in addition to first generation, Pell eligible, and, minority students at a large CM program (n = 766). Results indicated statistically significant opportunity gaps in enrollment and academic success outcomes exist between underrepresented racial/ethnic minorities and their White peers; and, that the magnitude of some of these opportunity gaps has increased in comparison to historic levels. In the third study, the physical artifacts of three construction education programs at land grant universities across the United States were evaluated to understand the non-verbal message relating to who belongs and is valued in construction education? Results suggest that construction education programs could implement numerous improvements in creating a more inclusive physical environment as White men are primarily represented as the management workforce while people of color are portrayed as the construction labor workers, and women are underrepresented in the physical artifacts. At the conclusion of the three studies, significant findings, suggestions for practice, recommendations for future research, and limitations are be discussed as they relate to the equity climate and outcomes of construction education programs in the land grant system. Ultimately, results indicate that numerous educational disparities exist between women, Latinxs, and their respective counterparts, and that land grant construction education programs would be well served to focus on creating a more equitable educational climate for all

She Matters: 2015 Issues and Actions

She Matters: 2015 Issues and Actions contains recommendations and strategies for all of us as we work to ensure equity, education, safety, security, and opportunity for females across the state. We hope this report serves as a valuable tool for development of initiatives and policies for key stakeholders and decision-makers

Correcting the Conversation: An Argument for a Public Health Perspective Approach to University Timely Warnings about Sexual Assault

Reports of sexual violence should be written from a public health perspective approach to appropriately frame the occurrence and encourage accurate understandings of sexual assault as a larger societal issue. This research consists of two studies to investigate the way universities do (and should) communicate about sexual violence with their students. For Study 1, interviews were conducted with a random sample of public state Universities regarding their emergency alert processes and template usage to determine current emergency communication practices. The majority of universities contacted do not have a template or best practice guidelines in place for creating timely warnings. For Study 2, an experimental test asked participants to read a hypothetical university timely warning message about a sexual assault on campus and take a post-test survey about their perceptions of sexual assault and personal estimation of threat. The experiment tested whether the inclusion of contextualizing statistics and information in the message changed their reported perceptions of rape overall. Results from the study show that a combination approach incorporating both statistics and personal safety strategies had the greatest influence on both threat perception and reported preventative behaviors. This research has significant public policy implications for best practices concerning institutional communication about sexual assault

To expel, or to not expel? An analysis of James Madison University\u27s crisis communication and response to sexual assault

Over the past decades, there have been several communication crises domestically and internationally. The public relations team behind each company, organization or public figure handles each crisis in a unique fashion. Some crisis management techniques work to rebuild the image of the organization effected, while other strategies fail to produce the desired outcome. It is important to study the practice of crisis management and crisis communication to understand how public relations teams operate in times of pre-crisis, crisis, and post-crisis, as well as how they improve internal and external communications with the significant affected publics. This project will focus on the different elements of a crisis and how it applies in a college setting, especially in instances of sexual assault

Promotional communication for a college food pantry: findings from a cross-sectional assessment of socioecological variables related to past use of a campus-based food pantry.

Objective: This study examined differences between users and non-users of campus food pantry, conducted communication audit, and made recommendations for future food pantry communication. Methods: Cross-sectional twofold study, first analyzing existing intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental data to test predictors of campus food pantry usage characteristics, using inferential statistics. Secondly, conducting a communication audit that evaluates the reach of student communication. Results: Significant differences were found between users and non-users of food pantry that support hypotheses in relation to gender, age, race, class, marital status, housing type, housing description, and Pell eligibility. Findings could not support hypothesized differences in first-generation status. Research question data showed there is room for tailored out-going communication v improvement and growing awareness of the campus food pantry among students. Conclusions: With respect to the predictors of food insecurity, the campus food pantry appears to be serving those in need

Guiding Organizations Through Transformational Change and Crisis

With sensemaking as a framework, the researcher used document analysis and semi-structured interviews to examine the main institutional logics, culture, and values used in communication from university leaders related to changes in response to crisis. Qualitative data from analysis of written communication from the first four months of the COVID-19 pandemic and interviews with presidents and chief communication officers (CCOs) were consolidated to address the research questions: (1) What sensemaking strategies do university leaders employ to frame organizational events and actions? and (2) Are institutional logics and culture used within leadership communication related to university presidents’ framing of the change process, and if so, how are they related? Participants were limited to the presidents and chief communication officers of institutions within a large university system in the southern United States. Focused interviews with six university presidents and four CCOs and written communications from eight universities comprised the data set. The following conclusions were drawn from the findings: Through content analysis of 118 artifacts (presidential communication issued between March 2020 and June 2020), the researcher found eight individual codes used to communicate changes necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic: Health and Safety, Caring, Retention, Student Centered, Challenge, Change, Online Instruction, and Continuity of Learning. Interviews with university presidents and CCOs yielded data that coalesced in six themes: Caring, Change, Retention, Reaction, Values, and Sensemaking. In interviews, CCOs and presidents stated that they were aware of the presence of institutional values in leadership communication related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the changes it necessitated; however, the majority did not indicate that the inclusion of values and culture was conscious. The diagnostic data gathered in this study may be used in a prescriptive manner to craft communication related to changes in response to crisis. Based on the findings, concrete and actionable recommendations are provided on how to use sensemaking in communication to help stakeholders comprehend the necessary changes when crisis is encountered