University of Hartford: Administration Warned Student-Athletes to be ‘Courteous,’ Not ‘Disruptive’ During Commencement
Cases
University of Hartford
Case Overview
On May 11, 2022, a University of Hartford administrator sent team coaches an email about individual and team consequences for “any disruption” by student-athletes at the upcoming commencement ceremony. A year prior, the university president was booed off stage following an announcement that Hartford would move from Division I to Division III athletics. On May 25, ݮƵAPP wrote to Hartford, explaining that whether students express positive or negative views, Hartford may not dictate which views students can and cannot express. Although Hartford did not respond to ݮƵAPP’s letter, it proceeded to restrict comments on a social media post about its move to Division III sports, which earned ݮƵAPP’s criticism.