(INDIANAPOLIS) - The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana has filed two federal lawsuits against Ball State University, challenging a campus policy that restricts protests near several buildings.
The lawsuits target a provision in the university's Non-Commercial Expressive Activity and Assembly on University Property policy that prohibits demonstrations within 50 feet of certain campus buildings.
The ACLU says the rule violates students' First Amendment rights.
The complaints also address disciplinary actions taken against students who entered the university's administration building on Nov. 19, 2025, to deliver written messages to Ball State President Geoffrey Mearns. The notes criticized the university's financial ties to Israel during the ongoing conflict with Hamas.
According to the lawsuits, the students were initially told to leave but were later allowed to remain in a hallway near the president's office before leaving when the building closed.
The ACLU says several students later faced disciplinary action, including one who was reportedly suspended for a semester.
The lawsuits seek court orders declaring the policy unconstitutional and asking the university to remove disciplinary records tied to the incident.
In a statement, Ball State said it had not yet received formal notice of the lawsuits and does not comment on pending litigation.