Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by a former graduate student, after the school hit her with a ‘no contact’ order barring communication with classmates who objected to her conservative views.
Maggie R. DeJong was a grad student in art therapy when, according to a suit she filed last year, SIUE used the ‘no contact’ order to muzzle her speech and effectively ban her from classes.
The lawsuit alleged that the publicly funded school’s Director of Art Therapy Megan A. Robb encouraged three of DeJong’s classmates to report her Christian and conservative views to administrators as ‘harmful,’ resulting in the ban.
As part of a settlement reached on Wednesday, SIUE agreed to pay $80,000 and require three professors to attend a First Amendment training session, according to legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, which represented DeJong.
‘Public universities can’t punish students for expressing their political and religious viewpoints,’ said ADF Legal Counsel Mathew Hoffmann in a statement.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by former grad student Maggie R. DeJong (above) and will pay $80,000
The lawsuit alleged that the publicly funded school’s Director of Art Therapy Megan A. Robb encouraged three of DeJong’s classmates to report her Christian and conservative views to administrators as ‘harmful,’ resulting in the ban
‘Maggie, like every other student, is protected under the First Amendment to respectfully share her personal beliefs, and university officials were wrong to issue gag orders and silence her speech,’ the attorney added.
In a statement, SIUE Chancellor James T. Minor acknowledged the settlement without confirming financial details, and insisted the school maintained an ‘unwavering defense of free speech.’
‘I trust that most people who care about these issues will see beyond the sensationalism of click bait, media reports, and headlines in search of a more complete understanding of the facts,’ said Minor.
‘SIUE is unequivocally committed to protecting First Amendment rights and does not have policies that restrict free speech nor support censorship,’ the chancellor added.
DeJong’s allegations were outlined in a 51-page federal lawsuit filed in May 2022, which in addition to Robb named SIUE administrator Jamie Ball and the school’s former chancellor Randall G. Pembrook as defendants.
According to the lawsuit, under SIUE Art Therapy program’s ‘anti-oppressive framework,’ DeJong’s speech in the classroom and on social media was often seen as ‘harmful’ by classmates.
Three classmates in particular took issue with DeJong’s views on religion, race, public safety, and other controversial social topics, according to the suit, which identified the other students only by their initials.
