Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University: Student Punished for Booing at a Soccer Game
Cases
Virginia Tech
Case Overview
At a Virginia Tech women鈥檚 soccer match on September 26, Senior Associate Athletics Director Reyna Gilbert-Lowry asked student Sean Lohr to 鈥渢one it down鈥 after he yelled at a referee. Lohr called her 鈥渁 glorified PE [physical education] teacher鈥 and exhorted the crowd to jeer her. Gilbert-Lowry then directed campus security to remove him from the event. Lohr was found responsible for 鈥淒isorderly or Disruptive Conduct鈥 on October 22. FIREwrote to Virginia Tech on December 7 calling for the university to rescind its punishment of Lohr for engaging in protected, non-disruptive expression at the match. The university refused to clear Lohr鈥檚 record, prompting FIREto send another letter on February 8, 2022, urging the university to take its First Amendment obligation seriously.