Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has dropped three no-contact orders issued against a graduate student who had discussed her Christian beliefs with other students.
The university dropped the orders and an accompanying investigation into graduate student Maggie DeJong after attorneys for the conservative legal group Alliance Defending Freedom sent a letter to the university threatening legal action for violating her constitutional rights.
The announcement ended a weekslong episode that began when DeJong received notice from the university to avoid contact with three other students with whom she had previously had discussions about Christianity.
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON SPARKS OUTCRY FOR REPORTEDLY KEEPING ABORTED FETUSES IN PAPER BAGS
The no-contact orders, which were issued to DeJong on Feb. 10, contained no allegations of wrongdoing or violation of the code of student conduct but merely said they were necessary “upon information and belief that interactions between [DeJong] and [the three students] would not be welcome or appropriate at this time.”
“This order is not an indication of responsibility for a violation of university policy, rather, it is intended to prevent interactions that could be perceived by either party as unwelcome, retaliatory, intimidating or harassing,” the order said.
The order made no mention why the no-contact order had been issued. Tyson Langhofer, an attorney with the ADF who is representing DeJong, told the Washington Examiner that the order was issued after a student filed a complaint against DeJong for discussing her Christian faith.
One of those discussions, a text that said, “My personal held beliefs are grounded in objective truth by the gospel of Jesus Christ,” was later included in an art project by students, “the crushing weight of microaggressions,” which listed various phrases, including “you have to watch your tone” and “conflicts can strengthen relationships” as examples of microaggressions.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“The universities cannot issue essentially restraining orders against their students for essentially just engaging in important conversations on important topics,” Langhofer said. “They should be encouraging those types of discussions, not discouraging them by granting no contact orders.”
The university declined to comment.
