Is this an example of first amendment being violated in a public university in the US?

Question

A while ago, a graduate school official in a public university in the US sent me this email message:

Obtaining permissions and approvals - If you have co-authors or co-researchers you must ask their permission before publishing, and include their names. Please ask for Dr. X's approval before posting/publishing anything to the world-wide web. As a grad student at university you represent our institution, and it is important to have correct information that is error-free. We have to maintain the integrity and reputation of producing respected scholars. Therefore it is important to have your work reviewed and approved first.

My focus is on the bolded part that basically says: I need to receive approval/permission before posting/publishing anything to the world-wide web. It doesn't say that approval or permission is just limited to publishing/posting academic materials and it seems it includes any material in the world-wide web. Why, I need to receive such a permission if I want to post something in the web from the university officials? I read the whole graduate manual in this particular public university, and it doesn't say anything about this situation.

My question: Is this an infringement on first amendment rights in a public university in the US for a college student?

Answer 1

The matter is not clear-cut (and the university lawyers are presumably relying on that fact). The bold part and following overstates the situation, especially the unconstrained "publishing anything" edict. You can publish whatever you want that the university doesn't have a legal interest in. The clause that says "If you have co-authors or co-researchers you must ask their permission before publishing, and include their names" is true, and defines a limit on their control. If you don't have co-authors, it's none of their legal business. (There can be issues regarding publishing an affiliation, so let's put that on hold).

They can, however, prohibit you from claiming an affiliation with Pod U, unless you submit your works to some internal vetting organization. This requirement should, however, be stated somewhere perhaps in the rules of the graduate school (not just the student handbook); or the other legally-enforceable rules.

You should also pay attention to the exact words that they use. You must ask permission to publish work done with a co-author (that's a fact: it's a standard requirement in universities). It is important to be sure that the information you publish is correct (clearly that is not in dispute). They are allowed to ask you to get X's approval. The First Amendment does not prohibit them from urging you to follow a course of action.