Maggie DeJong, a conservative student recently won a legal battle against the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) after she claimed that certain university professors had infringed on her constitutional rights and had discriminated against her.
Alliance Defending Freedom, stated on Wednesday during a press release that the attorneys connected to the organization are scheduled to have a First Amendment training session that is going to be attended by the three professors. This is part of the terms agreed upon in the settlement.
In the lawsuit, DeJong claimed that the university officials in question had violated her rights through a “no-contact order” which forbade her from talking with any of the other university students. In their announcement, the ADF points out that DeJong had been ostracized for having a different view than many of the other university students.
As part of the settlement, the policies of the university are going to be updated and revised so that those students who have different ideological, religious, or political news would still be welcome to join the art therapy program. The university is also going to be made to pay $80,000 as part of the settlement.
The ADF also noted that prior to the filing of the lawsuit, DeJong had been a student at SIUE in the Art Therapy Program, however because of her views which differed from those of other students, she had been reported to university officials multiple times for her speech. Some students had also reported her over her personal views according to the announcement.
