The College Fix

Free speech group issues demand to remove sanctions against student 

A national free speech group confirmed with The College Fix on April 9 it is still waiting to hear back from Lincoln Memorial University, College of Veterinary Medicine after demanding the school revoke a student’s punishment for social media posts telling President Donald Trump supporters to “unfollow” her.

LMU-CVM accused the student of violating its Ethics and Honor Code of Conduct and required her to write a two-page paper as punishment.

In response, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression sent a letter to the school on Feb. 25 calling for the removal of all sanctions against Erin Lintag.

“LMU-CVM’s commitment to free speech bars it from punishing protected political expression. To abide by its commitment to respect student expressive rights, LMU-CVM must promptly remove any record of Lintag’s sanction from her file,” FIRE wrote in its letter.

The school also has not responded to multiple inquiries from The Fix via email on whether it will adhere to the group’s demands.

In January, Lintag expressed frustration with the current presidential administration and asked Trump-supporting peers to keep their distance.

She wrote on Instagram, “if you are my classmate and you voted for Trump or support his ideals, unfollow me. We will still be civil because we have to be, but you don’t need me as a friend and I don’t need you,” according to FIRE’s letter.

In a separate post, Lintag wrote, “Another reminder: Trump, Musk, RFK, & etc supporters will get the cold shoulder but if we have to fake it for our grade then we will. But otherwise, UNFOLLOW ME. QUICKLYYYYYYYY[.]”

The Fix could not find Lintag’s social media account to contact her about the situation.

The university’s Student Affairs Office charged the student with “Posting Instagram posts that were targeted at her ‘classmates’” and gave her two days to accept or deny responsibility, according to FIRE’s letter.

A school official told Lintag during a “hostile” meeting “that accepting responsibility would lead to an Administrative Decision—a sanction requiring Lintag to write a two-page paper on the dangers of social media, focusing on its risks of cyberbullying, privacy issues, and mental health effects on others,” the letter states.

“With only 48 hours to make this high-stakes decision, Lintag reluctantly accepted responsibility on February 4, despite believing she had not violated college policy. As a result, Lintag’s file now includes the Administrative Decision,” it states.

Meanwhile, the school’s Academic Freedom policy states, “As citizens, students should enjoy the same freedom of speech … that other citizens within the University mission enjoy.”

FIRE stated that although the school is a private institution and not directly subject to the First Amendment, this written promise would reasonably lead students to believe they have the same expressive rights as other citizens, specifically those protected by the First Amendment.

The free speech group also told The Fix this case is part of a broader issue.

“FIRE has often seen universities attempting to police students’ political opinions online,” Senior Program Counsel Haley Gluhanich said via email.

“When we see that happening, we like to remind universities that the First Amendment protects students sharing their political thoughts and views on social media,” she said.

MORE: U.N. free speech envoy tells Harvard to ‘fight against Trump’

IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: Aerial photo of LMU campus; Lincoln Memorial University/Youtube

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