Illinois University Temporarily Banned Student From ‘Any Contact’ With Three Peers Because Her Ideas Were ‘Unwelcome’

Illinois University Temporarily Banned Student From ‘Any Contact’ With Three Peers Because Her Ideas Were ‘Unwelcome’
University of Illinois (Image: YouTube screen grab)

By Chrissy Clark

An Illinois college temporarily barred a master’s student from communicating with three peers after they reportedly complained to the university, according to documentation obtained by the Daily Caller.

Maggie DeJong, a third-year master’s student at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, was issued three “No Contact Order[s]” on Feb. 10, according to an email from the school’s Title IX Coordinator. The letter told DeJong she could not have “any contact” with three students, though failed to inform her what university policy she allegedly broke.

“I write to inform you that the Office of Equal Opportunity, Access and Title IX Coordination has issued a No Contact Order whereby neither your nor [student] may have any contact with each other, either on or off campus, in person or through another party, by telephone, letter, e-mail, or other electronic media, or by any other means,” the letter read. “You may not engage in indirect communication via social media or any other means. You must also refrain from any form of harassment, retaliation, or intimidating behavior.”

The letter states that DeJong’s “No Contact Order” “is not an indication of responsibility for a violation of University policy,” rather it was created to prevent “perceived” actions that are “unwelcome.”

DeJong told the Daily Caller that she could not think of a singular event that could lead to this escalation. The master’s student said she believes her “worldview is a minority of thought” on the school’s campus and said a student used her words for an art project on “microaggressions.”

One of the students named in the “No Contact Order” direct messaged DeJong on Instagram the previous semester questioning her Christian faith.

“My personal held beliefs are grounded in objective truth by the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” DeJong said in response to her classmate.

The same student then created an art project titled, “Crushing Weight of Microaggressions,” which included the exact sentence that DeJong had messaged her classmate the previous semester. The project was released after the “No Contact Order” was put in place.

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