A Kennesaw State Christian student organization agreed to a settlement ending a lawsuit the group filed earlier this year on Wednesday, Oct. 17.
Ratio Christi originally filed the suit in February, stating that KSU’s policies on where students can set up displays and speak with others on campus are unconstitutional.
The original complaint states that Ratio Christi requested a space on the campus green to set up a pro-life display, and it stated that university denied the group its request and that it redirected the group to a campus “speech zone.” The group said in the complaint that the area described would confine them to a small percentage of the campus.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Tyson Lanhofer, the attorney representing Ratio Christi, said that the group settled after the university updated its Freedom of Expression policy.
The update to the policy, now available on publicforum.kennesaw.edu, aims to “better facilitate the free exchange of ideas” for students on campus.
The policy now allows for designated spaces on both KSU campuses for students to express their opinions and ideas without having to actually request the space. The new policy also states that requests for space cannot be denied based on the “content or viewpoint of the expression, including the possible reaction to the content or viewpoints anticipated to be expressed during the event.”
The update to the policy went into effect on Friday, Oct. 5 — 12 days before the group agreed to settle.
The AJC reported that Ratio Christi will receive a settlement over $20,000 for attorney fees and damages.
