In Alice Jo Rainville’s office inside of the Everett L. Marshall building, two posters are on display in the window facing the public sidewalk. One reads, “Face It … Abortion Kills A Person!!” accompanied by an image of a baby around 6 months in age. The second poster reads, “Stand Up For Religious Freedom” and includes a website of the same name.
Graduate student Ben Kelly saw these posters in late January. After seeing them, Kelly researched the legal and ethical side of EMU’s poster policies.
“It’s upsetting on a human level,” Kelly said. Kelly said that he is an advocate for women’s rights and abortion access for those in need.
While EMU’s PolicyTech guidelines for bulletin boards and postings does not list any staff requirements, students have criteria for postings on bulletin boards. As listed in EMU’s student handbook, “a Poster shall not discriminate on the basis of race, age, color, religion, creed, national origin, marital status, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation or disability.”
Kelly said that this poster was discriminatory toward those who have had abortions, and decided to contact the University’s Department of Health and Human Services for clarification. The Associate Dean of the School of Health Sciences, Andrea Gosett Zakrajsek, responded to Kelly’s email explaining, “as a public institution, EMU must abide by free speech policies.”
Zakrajsek and Dean Fritz then contacted EMU’s legal department to ensure they had interpreted the rights and policies correctly. Zakrajsek told Kelly, “At this time, EMU faculty/employees have the right to post political content in their offices and in their office windows.”
Unsatisfied with this response, Kelly approached Chief DEI Officer Dwight Hamilton, explaining that these posters were more than just a statement.
"[The posters] use violent rhetoric and spread misinformation. These things are not facts," said Kelly.
Kelly’s concern reached to people who have had abortions as well as the students in Rainville's classes.
“This promotes unhealthy relationships between students and professors," Kelly said. "I wouldn’t respect my professor or take them seriously if I knew they were displaying these posters…they have a discriminatory nature toward anyone who has had to experience this.”
Hamilton heard Kelly’s worries, and looked over the laws with the eyes of a formal civil rights attorney.
Hamilton said that based on his research, hate speech is still protected under freedom of speech. This instance cannot be interpreted as harassment, because it is not pointed at any one individual. Hamilton also said that challenging the posters could draw unnecessary attention to the university concerning the abortion issue.
Kelly then shared his experience with The Eastern Echo. He questioned whether the response would have been different if someone who had undergone an abortion had filed the complaint. Kelly also spoke about the university’s reliance on a third-party organization to oversee its ethics department, and emphasized his ongoing commitment to advocating for student rights and non-discrimination on campus.
Alice Jo Rainville, a faculty member in the College of Health and Human Services, is the faculty advisor for Eastern Michigan University’s chapter of Protect Life. Protect Life is an organization that supports the pro-life cause by advocating to restrict access to abortion and defund Planned Parenthood.
“Motivated by my work with Protect Life Michigan, I am the faculty advisor for the EMU chapter, because I believe our tax dollars should not be used for killing innocent babies in the world,” Rainville said.
Rainville said that the sudden interest in her window was surprising.
“I’ve had signs up for years, different ones periodically,” Rainville said. "As far as I know, there’s no policies."
Rainville displays these posters in her office window, and on her door inside. She posts information and business cards to inform students about the pregnancy health centers where she works.
"That’s my faculty office, meaning I can put up what I want…no one can take away your right to express your viewpoint. In fact, a college campus is a great place to explore viewpoints and find your beliefs.”
Rainville said that these pregnancy centers provide women and families with support including materials for babies, parenting classes, ultrasounds, and pregnancy testing for free. Rainville said that these clinics are not only for those considering abortion, they are judgement free.
"[These centers] help women with unwanted pregnancies, but they have received a lot of vandalism and violence from people who don't agree with it," Rainville said. "We have been discriminated against for working there.”
Though Kelly and Rainville have not met in person, Kelly said he would like to ask Rainville a question: “If a person who previously had an abortion saw this, what do you want them to think? What is your hope for them?”
When Rainville was asked this question, she said, “I would hope that they get the help that they deserve and that they need. All humans have rights. There are programs for women who have had abortions and men who haven't had a say in the abortions their girlfriends have.”
