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UMKC Right to Free Expression Reporting


This form serves as an official report to the University of Missouri-Kansas City regarding an incident or incidents that resulted in a possible violation of a student's right to free expression.

It is vitally important for UMKC to foster and maintain an educational environment that promotes free discussion, inquiry and expression by students inside the classroom and beyond, without fear that their exercise of such rights will have negative repercussions in areas over which the University has responsibility. It is equally important that students understand the narrow line separating their First Amendment rights and the legal and privacy rights of others so that students can exercise those rights within appropriate boundaries.

Per UM System Collected Rules and Regulations (CRRs) 200.015 (link), instructors should encourage free discussion, inquiry, and expression in courses, conferences and meetings. Student performance shall be evaluated solely on an academic basis, not on opinions or conduct in matters unrelated to academic standards.

Although students’ right to free expression is protected, UMKC employees have the authority to take action under CRR 200.010 (link) when they believe the conduct of any student unreasonably disrupts the learning environment or prevents others from learning or threatens or endangers the health or safety of any person.

If you believe there was in error in an employee's actions related to the right to free expression, you should complete the form below to report the incident(s) to the University.

This report will be reviewed and evaluated during normal business hours; reporters should expect a response within three business days. Please note: reports are not typically reviewed after hours, on weekends, or during official University holidays. If you have an immediate concern about the health or safety of a student or employee, please contact the UMKC Police Department at (816) 235-1515 or dial 9-1-1.

Reports may be submitted by the individual or group affected by the incident(s), a witness to the incident(s), or a concerned third party (UMKC employee, family member, friend, visitor, community member, etc.). Every reporter will receive a confirmation email once their report has been reviewed; however, as the reporter, you may not be provided additional information regarding any actions taken by the University unless you are directly involved in the incident(s).

There are two types of reports: INFORMATION ONLY and REQUEST ACTION.

INFORMATION ONLY (IO) reports are used to track trends and help determine patterns across campus. Reporters who submit IO reports have no expectation that the University will take any action, as the single intent is to make UMKC aware of the incident(s). However, if the incident(s) as reported may rise to the level of a violation of University policy or indicate inappropriate behaviors by a University employee, UMKC may have an obligation to take further action. When this obligation is triggered by an IO report, it will be handled according to the REQUEST ACTION report process outlined below.

REQUEST ACTION (RA) reports are reviewed and evaluated before being forwarded on to the appropriate entity, which may include the Office of Equity & Title IX, Student Conduct & Civility, Human Resources, Faculty Affairs, etc. Reporters who submit RA reports have an expectation that the University will take some sort of action, although only those involved in the incident(s) will be kept apprised of any resulting action taken by UMKC.

To learn more about the UMKC entities listed above, please visit:
Office of Equity & Title IX
Student Conduct & Civility
Human Resources
Faculty Affairs

This report is not considered confidential but will only be shared with the appropriate University officials on a need-to-know basis to protect the privacy of those involved.

Background Information

Reports may be submitted anonymously by skipping the applicable fields in the Background Information section below.

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If you are a UMKC employee, please provide your department or unit.
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Please indicate the pronouns you would like us to use (ze, she, he, they, etc.)
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Please indicate the approximate date of the incident or first date in the series of incident(s).
This field is required.
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Choose the option that best indicates the location of the incident(s).

Involved Parties

We ask that you identify those involved to the best of your ability, as UMKC may be limited in our response if you are unwilling or unable to do so.

Complainant refers to the individual who experienced the incident(s).

Respondent refers to the individual or group accused of violating the right to free expression.

Involved party 1

Additional Information

Please respond to the following questions to the best of your ability, as UMKC may be limited in any action taken based on the information provided.

Has this incident been previously reported to any employee or office at UMKC?(Required)
This field is required.
This field is required.

Supporting Documentation

Please upload any supporting documentation, photos, videos, screenshots, etc. that you believe would be helpful to the University. 5GB maximum total size.
Attachments require time to upload, so please be patient after submitting this form.

Submission