Tennessee Universities Earn Bad Free Speech Code Ratings

Many Tennessee universities maintain speech codes that suppress campus free speech, according to a recent report by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). Of the six Tennessee schools included in the report, five reportedly have rules restricting free speech.

The Spotlight on Campus Speech Codes 2024 report rates U.S. colleges based on whether their written speech codes do not infringe on protected speech. According to the report, 85.4 percent of schools maintain policies that can or do infringe on free expression.

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Former Editor of MTSU Student Newspaper: I Resigned After Board Issued ‘False Misrepresentation’ of Reason I Took Down Article About One Student’s Reaction to Hamas Invasion of Israel

Matthew Giffin

Matthew Giffin, the newest member of The Tennessee Star team of journalists, joined The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy in-studio to discuss the controversy surrounding his resignation as editor-in-chief of MTSU Sidelines, Middle Tennessee State University’s official student newspaper.

Giffin brings listeners into the room and shares the events leading to his resignation, triggered by the publication of an article covering a student’s concern for family and friends in Tel Aviv during a conflict. The story faced intense backlash on social media, leading to threats against the interviewed student.

Giffin details the editorial board’s decision to take down the article, the subsequent false statement issued, and his decision, ultimately, to walk away from the outlet.

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MTSU Student Newspaper’s Former Editor Says Faculty Adviser Was ‘In the Room’ When Editorial Board Drafted its Apology Letter to Placate ‘Free Palestine Crowd’

The editorial board for the Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) student newspaper issued a statement Wednesday in defense of the newspaper’s faculty adviser following the publication’s apology for running a story on an MTSU student worried about his friends in Israel.

But Matthew Giffin, the former editor-in-chief of Sidelines who wrote the profile piece, told The Tennessee Star that associate professor Stephen Leon Alligood was “in the room” when the editor’s note was crafted.

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U.S. Rep. DesJarlais Commends Former Middle Tennessee State University Student Newspaper Editor for Standing Up to Terrorists

U.S. Representative Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04) told The Tennessee Star that today’s media needs more reporters like Matthew Giffin.

Giffin resigned his position as editor-in-chief of Sidelines, Middle Tennessee State University’s student digital newspaper, after he said the publication’s editorial board caved into pressure by anti-Israel students who opposed his story profiling a MTSU student concerned about his friends in Tel Aviv.

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Commentary: Even ‘Red State’ Colleges Like MTSU are Folding to Antisemitic, Pro-Hamas Voices

In the weeks since the Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7, students and faculty at colleges across the U.S. have given way to the pressures of antisemitic, pro-Hamas voices, abandoning moral clarity and sound judgment.

While students at Ivy League and coastal schools have been among the most prominent examples, students in deeply red, southern states have joined in supporting terrorism and suppressing pro-Israel voices.

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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee Announces MTSU Aerospace Expansion to Shelbyville

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (R) along with Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) President Sidney McPhee announced on Thursday that MTSU’s growing aerospace department will be moving from its current location at Murfreesboro Airport to a new state-of-the-art campus in Shelbyville.

Due to the rapidly expanding Aerospace industry, preparations for the new MTSU Aerospace-Shelbyville campus has been in the works since April. The press release says that the institution and the state have contributed a total of $62.2 million for the move.

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Professional Educators of Tennessee to Hold Leader U Professional Development Conference June 7 at Middle Tennessee State University

Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the Executive Director & CEO of Professional Educators of Tennessee, JC Bowman in studio to talk about how they differentiate from teachers’ unions and the upcoming Leader U Professional Development Conference event, Tuesday, June 7th at Middle Tennessee State University.

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Tennessee College Students Hold Protests Over Loosening COVID Regulations

Girl with blonde hair and glasses, wearing a blue mask

Tennessee college students and some staff members gathered last week to protest their school’s loosening COVID regulations. Belmont students gathered last Thursday, and Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) students and staff gathered Saturday before the school’s football game. 

At MTSU, FoxNews 17 reported that labor union workers, staff, and students gathered in front of the Floyd Stadium to encourage the use of masks again on campus. One professor, Elyce Helford, said in an interview with Fox that “faculty are not allowed, now that there’s no mask mandate, for example, to put their class online instead. If their class has been in a classroom, they have to continue teaching it.”

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MTSU First in Tennessee to Join Biden’s ‘COVID-19 College Vaccine Challenge’

Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) is the first university in the state to join President Joe Biden’s “COVID-19 College Vaccine Challenge.” MTSU announced their decision on Thursday.

Since MTSU made their announcement, East Tennessee State University (ETSU) and Lane College have also joined the COVID-19 College Vaccine Challenge. MTSU President Sidney McPhee said that the vaccinations were just another common sense step to control COVID-19.

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After Threats of Unrest and a High Price Tag, Ann Coulter’s Appearance Sold Out at MTSU

For hosting a conservative speaker on their campus, a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) chapter paid the price – three times, to be exact. Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) TPUSA hosted Ann Coulter on Monday, at three times the cost of liberal or leftist organizations according TPUSA’s report of an anonymous call from the school’s administration. 

The chapter was charged nearly 1600 percent the normal rental fee for the venue – nearly $2,400 compared to $150. MTSU claimed on its invoice that a bulk of the additional expenses were to cover the costs of “Event Production Services.” This, though the event itself appeared to be a bare bones display – no music was played, no fog or flashing lights were emitted, and the projector screen displayed only one slide the entirety of the event.

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MTSU Students Charged After Allegedly Stealing $114k from Student Groups

Two students at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) have been indicted by a grand jury for allegedly stealing more than $100,000 from the school over a period of several years. 

“Mohamed Osman and Mohamed Gure were presidents of MTSU’s Somali Students Association, according to investigators,” WKRN said. “During their time in office, the Comptroller’s Office said they submitted at least 85 false invoices to MTSU, many of which were for non-existent vendors, to obtain reimbursements totaling $82,200 in student activity fee funds.”

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Middle Tennessee State University Free Speech Center Releases First Amendment Report for Students

There are nine practices that could significantly improve the climate of free speech on American college campuses nationwide. This, according to a report released by Middle Tennessee State University’s (MTSU) Free Speech Center last week, aimed at offering best practices for First Amendment advocacy, activism, and engagement amongst college students.

The nine practices proposed were: physical environments incorporating the First Amendment, social media engagement, cultural boundary bridging, writing exercises, case studies, targeted campus events, hands-on engagement, building bridges, and a combination of assessment and iteration. Examples of these practices included establishing monuments enumerating the First Amendment rights, or offering exercises where students experience loss of these rights momentarily by exchanging their First Amendment freedoms for a free lunch.

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MTSU Intends to Resume On-Campus, In-Person Classes this Fall

Middle Tennessee State University officials have announced they will move forward with COVID-19 preparations with a goal of resuming on-campus, in-person classes and operations in August for the Fall 2020 semester.

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee announced the news in a press release late last week.

“The task before me as president … is to chart a course that will allow us to welcome our new incoming freshman class, transfers and returning students, as well as faculty and staff, to a safe and healthy campus for the new academic year,” McPhee said.

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Middle Tennessee State University Accused of Trying to Help Democrats

Members of Middle Tennessee State University’s Political Science Department published a post on their official Facebook page that comes across to many people as a political endorsement for a Democrat. The Democrat in question, Les Trotman, wants the 43rd district Tennessee House of Representatives seat Republican Paul Sherrell currently occupies. This is problematic because MTSU takes taxpayer money, is a public university and has no business taking sides when it comes to politics. The ad asks for volunteers and interns to assist Trotman. The writer of the post attached a YouTube video of Sherrell proclaiming he opposes abortion and gay marriage. For members of MTSU’s Political Science Department to seek out volunteers for a political campaign is nothing unusual. But the text of the Facebook post goes on to say the following: “The video of the incumbent should prove the importance of the race,” the writer of the post says. “They are trying to flip the Republican super majority in the TN house and this is a very winnable seat,” the post went on to say, adding the work will qualify for class credit in a political science course. Conservatives who read the post voiced their grievances almost immediately. So how…

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MTSU Pays to Recruit International Students

A spokesman for Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro said the school pays for all efforts to recruit international students from the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. “Those (recruiting) trips are funded by the International Affairs allocated recruitment budget,” said MTSU spokesman David Schmidt, vice provost for the school’s International Affairs. Schmidt made his comments in an emailed statement to The Tennessee Star Tuesday. Schmidt also said MTSU recruiters generally take three to four recruiting trips a year. When asked, Hart said MTSU officials are not pushing for more international students because the school is hard-up for money. Many of the school’s previous exchange programs focused on European countries, Schmidt said. MTSU currently has about 1,000 international students, who all pursue “a wide variety of degrees, ranging from the sciences to the arts,” Schmidt said. “Being a part of a more diverse and global campus benefits Tennessee students by exposing them to other cultures that they may not otherwise interact, and it also prepares them to better compete in a global marketplace,” Schmidt said. As The Star reported this week, more and more international students attend universities in Tennessee. They take the knowledge and the skills they acquire here and apply them…

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Tennessee Universities Desire More International Students

More and more international students attend universities in Tennessee. They take the knowledge and the skills they acquire here and apply them back on their home turf. Could that eventually put the United States at a competitive disadvantage? Bill Persinger, spokesman for Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, said he could not answer. “I won’t comment on the political aspects of it, but it’s important for our students to understand global competitiveness,” Persinger told The Tennessee Star Monday. “If we have someone who is a first-time college student who is on a Pell grant or otherwise then the only way they are able to learn other cultures is by bringing international students here. I think that is important for all our students and getting them the best education possible.” Nashville Public Radio reports Vanderbilt and Belmont have more than doubled their international freshman enrollment since 2009. Meanwhile, public universities like Austin Peay and Middle Tennessee State University also have more international students. This, the website, reported is deliberate. Persinger told The Star that Austin Peay has too few international students and it’s important to get more. “The university is a place to challenge your thought process and expose you to…

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City And School Officials Work To Combat Crime Near Middle Tennessee State University

Tennessee Star

  Officials with the city of Murfreesboro and Middle Tennessee State University are working on ways to combat crime in areas around campus. Recent violent crimes at nearby apartments, including murder, have caused alarm. Drugs appear to be a factor, reports WKRN News 2. While the shootings and other crimes aren’t random, they have raised concerns about safety. More than a dozen apartment complex managers have met with officials to help work on solutions. “We are pleased with the level of cooperation and support from the apartment complex managers and owners,” said city manager Rob Lyons in a June 1 news release. “The city, MTSU, and privately-owned apartment complexes are united in implementing strategies, sharing data and increasing shared police-apartment approaches to ensure the safety of residents and students who live in off-campus housing.” Several complexes have already responded by investing in third-party security and establishing other safety measures, and city and university officials are developing a public awareness webpage to share data on police calls. Other strategies discussed include adopting a credentialing program to inform the public about safety practices at complexes, such as third-party security, gated access, monitored parking and visitor registration. Complexes that meet certain criteria would received…

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Radical Progressive LGBT Activist Speaks at Middle Tennessee State University

Tennessee Star

LGBT activist and attorney Urvashi Vaid railed against President Trump on Thursday while delivering a keynote address at a conference at Middle Tennessee State University. The “Creating Global Change” conference continues through Saturday and is hosted by MTSU’s Women’s and Gender Studies Program. The conference in Murfreesboro shows how even in red states like Tennessee, radical progressives have become mainstream in the halls of academia. Vaid criticized Trump for what she perceives to be his views on race, gender and LGBT issues. She said Trump “makes it acceptable to be racially divisive” and described the Trump administration and Republican Party as enemies in “an ideological battle that is going on in this country,” according to an article in MTSU Sidelines, the student newspaper. “The political agenda is very, very much about mass discrimination,” Vaid said. “State legislatures in this country are governed by people who are against liberty and justice for all.” Vaid spoke of the growth of the LGBT movement in recent decades, citing an increase in LGBT nonprofits from about 50 in 1969 to nearly 600 today. A native of India, Vaid is founder and president of The Vaid Group LLC. According to its website, the firm “advises socially engaged innovators…

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