The ACLU of Indiana has filed two lawsuits against Ball State University for allegedly violating students’ right to free speech.
Both suits focus on student protesters who entered the university president’s office in November to object to the school’s financial ties to Israel.
All 11 students received disciplinary sanctions. One student was suspended from the university for a semester and filed a separate suit.
The students were found to be in violation of two university policies – one prohibiting students from protesting within 50 feet of most campus buildings, and one requiring students to follow all directives from university officials.
ACLU Indiana Deputy Legal Director Gavin Rose said those rules are unconstitutional.
“For all intents and purposes, this policy really does ban a gigantic amount of speech on campus,” Rose said.
The plaintiffs are seeking an injunction blocking enforcement of the two challenged policies, expungement of disciplinary records, and damages against university officials named in the lawsuits.
Ball State didn’t respond to a request for comment by time of publication. Claims in a lawsuit give only one side of the case.
