Pity colleges and universities. Well, in some ways, anyway. Schools increasingly find themselves caught between two competing principles.
On the one hand, a school like the University of Missouri must protect the rights of students to explore subjects, to question accepted opinions, and to express their own thoughts, even when those may be controversial. Education cannot continue otherwise.
On the other hand, schools must protect everyone on campus from harm, and they’re naturally anxious to promote an atmosphere of cooperation and collegiality. No one wants to attend a college where everyone’s angry.
The problem is that sometimes these two principles come into conflict with one another. It can be a difficult task striking the right balance between them.
Pity students more, though. When schools don’t strike the right balance, students are the ones who pay the price, in the form of disciplinary misconduct sanctions, sometimes quite serious sanctions.
If you find yourself in this position, we can help. The LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team was founded to protect student rights. We know how the University of Missouri operates, and we can show you ways to use the system to your advantage.
We can’t do that, though, unless you contact us. To find out more about how we can help with your case, call 888-535-3686 today, or take a few minutes right now and fill out one of our online forms.
Defining Free Speech at the University of Missouri
All colleges and universities have a free speech policy these days, and all of those policies begin by affirming the centrality of free speech to the project of education. UM’s Commitment to Free Speech begins, “Freedom of expression is indispensable to a university’s ability to transmit knowledge,” and goes on to point out in several different ways that no one should be censored just because their words are provocative or even controversial.
A powerful assertion, but one that hasn’t always been backed up by the university’s actions. A 2025 email, for instance, made clear that “the university’s interest in the efficiency of its operations may outweigh the employee’s rights of free expression.” Translation: faculty should watch what they say. That same year, the administration was chided by First Amendment rights groups for erasing pro-Palestinian chalk messages from school sidewalks.
When the university sends mixed messages like these, it encourages everyone on campus to complain any time they’re offended. Don’t like the slogan on a classmate’s shirt? Accuse them of disciplinary misconduct. Disagree with your professor’s analysis of a political situation? Report them to their supervisors. And while the university should dismiss such complaints in the name of protecting free speech, that’s not always what happens.
Don’t risk a harsh sanction. At the first sign of trouble, make sure the LLF National Law Firm is on your side. Once you’ve been charged with misconduct, the university is no longer in your corner. We are.
The Mizzou Code of Conduct
It doesn’t help matters on campus that so many of the university’s rules and regulations are broadly written. UM would take a beating in the press if it forbade you from saying controversial things. Yet, many Code of Conduct offenses can be used to do just that.
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Threats: The university has a responsibility to protect everyone on campus from physical harm. This extends to a prohibition on genuine threats of harm. Overly zealous administrators sometimes apply this term to language that should be protected under the First Amendment.
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Harassment: Likewise, there are good reasons why UM bars harassment, particularly against certain protected groups. Federal law bars discrimination against individuals for characteristics like sex, age, religion, and veteran status. However, such prohibitions should not be used to stifle free speech. Even “hate speech” is protected by the First Amendment.
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Disruptive Conduct: Finally, you can also be charged with simply disrupting school activities. This one can be especially dangerous, since any aggressive arguments you make could potentially be labeled “disruptive.”
Whatever the charge, you can count on the LLF National Law Firm to protect you. We’ve worked with hundreds of students, defending them from all types of misconduct charges. And if it turns out your charge is actually an attempt to punish you for speaking out? We can make sure the university adheres to its own free speech policies.
Navigating the Disciplinary Misconduct System
The Mizzou Code doesn’t just include a list of offenses and sanctions. It also provides you with the right to due process any time you’re accused of an offense.
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Anyone on campus can accuse you of an offense. However, only the Office of Student Accountability and Support has the authority to issue formal charges against you.
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Any time you’re under investigation, the Office of Student Accountability must provide you with notice of the charges. This notice must include an explanation of the allegations and a complete list of your due process rights.
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Next, the university must conduct some type of investigation. It cannot proceed without evidence substantiating the charges. As part of this investigation, you have the right to give your side of the story. In addition, the school must keep you apprised of any evidence it uncovers in your case.
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The Office of Student Accountability may make a decision in the case based on the “preponderance of the evidence” legal standard. Basically, you are “responsible” if it seems “more likely than not” that you committed the offense.
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You have the right to reject this decision, though, and any sanctions the university has suggested, and ask for a formal hearing before the Chancellor’s Committee on Student Conduct.
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A hearing affords you the opportunity to introduce physical evidence in defense of your innocence and call witnesses to testify. You are further entitled to raise questions about any evidence being used against you, including witness testimony.
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Once again, the decision reached by the Chancellor’s Committee must employ the “preponderance of the evidence” legal standard.
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Should the Committee also find you responsible (guilty), you can file an appeal. However, you must have grounds to do so, such as a procedural error, a new piece of evidence, or a disproportionate sanction.
We can help you with all aspects of your case, from gathering evidence to coaching you in how to talk with investigators to drafting your hearing presentation. In the end, though, our most important job is ensuring you’re treated fairly and that the University of Missouri provides you with every due process right to which you are entitled.
What Can the LLF National Law Firm Do for You?
If you’ve been accused of some type of disciplinary misconduct over something you’ve said, you don’t want to try to handle the situation on your own. Your educational and professional futures are at stake.
The LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team is committed to your future and to ensuring you get justice. We are skilled negotiators, but make no mistake: we’re ready to fight for you any time you need us.
To find out more about how we can help, contact the LLF National Law Firm today at 888-535-3686. Or, fill out our online questionnaire.