The University of Central Florida student whose viral “graded” breakup letter to his ex-girlfriend got him suspended for two semesters was cleared of all charges.
Nick Lutz, 21, posted pictures of his ex-girlfriend’s apology letter which was retweeted more than 122,000 times. He gave the four pages of vulnerable, emotional prose a 61 out of 100 — a D minus.
“Long intro, short conclusion, strong hypothesis but nothing to back it up,” he wrote. “While the gesture is appreciated, I would prefer details over statements. Revision for half credit will be accepted.”
That tweet, his university ruled five months after it was posted, was grounds for suspension after his ex-girlfriend went to her hometown sheriff and the university with a complaint that she was cyber bullied.
UCF suspended Lutz for two semesters on charges of breaking the school’s honor code.
His lawyer, Jacob Stuart, called the punishment a violation of his client’s First Amendment rights and after an appeal, the school reversed its decision and dismissed the case entirely.
Stuart said that “Mr. Lutz and his family applaud UCF for recognizing that a student’s right to enjoy the freedom of expression is protected from ill-founded and abusive supervising by a public university.”
The ex-girlfriend was not a UCF student when the snarky tweet was posted, nor has she ever spoken publically about the case. It’s downright perplexing to think that a university would attempt to suspend a student over a petty breakup letter.
Had the suspension held up, it would have set a very dangerous precedent to any student who trolls a social media post. In an age of microaggressions and safe spaces, would publicly funded schools hire administrators just to monitor students’ social media accounts?
Thankfully, this dismissal is a win for free speech for all college campuses and students.
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