Identity of Speakers
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Daniel Lugo
Faculty/Staff
OtherPresident of Trinity College
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Students and Faculty for Justice in Palestine (SFJP)
Student
OtherCampus group that advocates for Palestinian rights and engages in political activism at Trinity College.
Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
Rally or protest
Other
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Incident Political Orientation:
Not Clear -
Incident Responses:
University investigation issuing in sanctions
Rally or Protests
State Campus Free Speech Act
Title IX or other federal statute
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Incident Status:
No litigation
- Was Speech Code incident
Summary
On November 7, 2025, Daniel Lugo, president of Trinity College, sent an email to the college community addressing messages that members of Students and Faculty for Justice in Palestine had written on classroom chalkboards. The messages included statements such as “Free Palestine,” “Trinity is suppressing freedom of assembly,” and “Trinity invests in genocide.” Lugo described the chalking as overtly political, potentially disruptive, and inconsistent with college policies. He emphasized that classroom spaces were intended for academic purposes and announced that the administration would investigate the matter.
In the days that followed, faculty and students responded to the president’s message. Several faculty members questioned whether the chalking actually violated college policy or constituted harassment, noting that the messages had been written outside of class hours and had not disrupted instructional activities. Some faculty sent letters to the administration expressing concern that the investigation could chill free expression on campus. Students also shared a range of reactions, with some defending the chalking as a form of protected expression and others expressing discomfort with the content of the messages. The incident sparked broader discussions on campus about the limits of political speech in academic spaces, the appropriate use of classroom resources for messaging, and how the college should balance educational priorities with student activism.
The situation prompted Trinity administrators to review their policies on classroom use and political messaging. Faculty members raised concerns that the administration’s focus on the chalking could create uncertainty about what forms of expression are permitted, while students debated the role of advocacy in academic spaces. Discussions also addressed the visibility of the messages across campus and whether similar expressions might be allowed in other contexts. In early December, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression sent a letter urging the college to end the investigation and reaffirm its commitment to free expression, highlighting that the chalking did not appear to constitute harassment or disruption.
