Tell Tulane to Drop the Charges

- What We Do
- What we defend
- Have your rights been violated?
  If you face retaliation over protected speech, reach out to ��ֱ�� to learn more about how we can protect your rights.
  Submit a Case
- Make a difference
- Take Action
  Across the nation, free speech rights are under attack. Join us in defending this essential quality of liberty. Make your voice heard and join a campaign.
  Protect Free Speech
- ��ֱ�� Student Network
  ��ֱ��’s 2022 College Free Speech Rankings are based on the voices of more than 44,000 currently enrolled students at 208 colleges and are designed to help parents and prospective students choose the right school.
  Build Your Network
- Resources
- College Free Speech Rankings
  Presented by ��ֱ�� and College Pulse, the 2025 College Free Speech Rankings is the largest survey of campus free expression ever performed.
- National Speech Index
  The National Speech Index is a new quarterly component of America’s Political Pulse, an ongoing weekly survey that will allow researchers to track shifting free speech sentiment in America over time.
  Learn More
Colleges
News
Cases
About Us
Submit a Case

Home
- Get Involved
- Make a difference
- Take Action

Tulane Students Are Being Punished for Peacefully Protesting Off Campus

Tell the University to Drop the Charges

Tulane University students (left to right) Adelaide Ritzman, Cameron McLaren,and Atticus Pratt sitting on a stone wall on campus

Imagine being punished by your university—not for breaking the law, or causing any disruption on campus, but for peacefully standing up for what you believe in, off campus, as a private citizen.

That’s what’s happening to seven Tulane students, including Preston Seligman, Rory Macdonald, Cameron McLaren, and Adelaide Ritzman. Their so-called “offense”? Attending a peaceful protest against the detention of a pro-Palestinian activist on public streets, organized by a group — Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) — that Tulane no longer recognizes.

There was no violence. No disruption. Just students exercising their right to speak out as citizens.

Now, Tulane is threatening harsh disciplinary action. Ritzman has already been sanctioned with two years of probation and 20 hours of community service—for simply showing up to a protest.

This isn’t just overreach. It’s a betrayal of Tulane’s own promises to uphold students’ rights to free expression and association. Rights that don’t end at the edge of campus.

This isn’t just about one protest. It’s about whether students can safely participate in off-campus civic life without fear of retaliation. The First Amendment protects that right—and Tulane should too.

Tell Tulane University President Michael Fitts: Drop the charges. Stop punishing students for peaceful, off-campus political expression. Protect free speech. Email President Fitts today and remind him that Tulane’s commitment to free expression must mean something—even when it's inconvenient.

����ֱ��

��ֱ��