Are students allowed to have offensive material on their web sites, screen savers? Why?
Material considered offensive to one person may not be to others and may constitute free speech, which is protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Cal Poly does not monitor or censor personal web pages hosted on University servers. There may be valid reasons for accessing or displaying such materials on University computers. However, material that violates applicable laws, e.g., child pornography, is not allowed. In addition, offensive screen savers, sounds, or wall papers may constitute a hostile workplace when used on a workstation that other users may have an opportunity to view in lab or office environments. If complaints were received in that case, the individual would be asked to perform their work elsewhere.
