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At the University of Michigan, Mary Sue Coleman, the President has called upon the legal office asking them to conduct a review of the schools trespass policy. Writing to the undergraduate chapter student leaders Bennett Stein and Mallory Jones of the Civil Liberties Union, she said that it is imperative to find a legal balance between free speech and safety.

A string of events that involved the state assistant attorney general who is also a U-M alumni and student body president spurred the review process. Chris Armstrong, the Michigan student assembly president whose radical gay agenda was closely followed by Andrew Shirvell, the assistant attorney general.

Andrew Shirvell also went to the extent of maintaining the “Chris Armstrong Watch” blog and managed to heckle him at public events. Following this, Shirvell was first banned from the campus and the ban was later modified.

Constitutionality of the trespass policy was an issue raised first by the civil rights attorney. Coleman also called upon university authorities to take appropriate action under this situation. Trespass warnings can be read or mailed by any of the sworn U-M police officers numbering 56.

Apart from banning students from areas in the building such as a section of the campus, an entire building or a building floor, police also have the right to ban a person from the campus and also other properties across the nation and state on a permanent basis.

This warning can be modified only by public safety director. U-M’s committee that monitors police oversight in an independent manner receives grievances. This committee’s power though is limited to being advisory in nature.

Mid November saw a threat being issued by the ACLU’s state chapter to bring a lawsuit over this policy. ACLU Michigan’s legal director and a resident of Ann Arbor Michael Steinberg said that Shirvell’s free speech and rights under the policy was definitely violated by the U-M.

The university’s decision to review the policy has been welcomed by Steinberg who says that they will work in close association with the students to ensure recognition of free speech and development of constitutional policy. This sentiment was echoed by Mallory Jones, the U-M student who is also the ACLU’s chair of student.

She said that being very encouraged by President Coleman’s response, they are looking forward to working in close association with the university in developing a trespass policy that ensures optimum campus safety even as it protects individual’s civil rights.

The situation seems to be under control at present and it is up to the university to keep up their promise on the review and ensure that justice is assured of in a fair manner. Coleman’s response was clearly prompted by the students says Rick Fitzgerald, the spokesman for U-M. Coleman, in a letter says that she has asked Suellyn Scarnecchia, the General Counsel and Vice President of the university to lead in reviewing the trespass policy. Suellyn in turn has promised to take inputs and suggestions from any organization or individual interested in the proposed changes.