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Settlement conference set in Schultz-MTU case

GRAND RAPIDS, MI--   Both sides in a lawsuit against Michigan Technological University regarding a post on social media have been ordered to attend a judicial settlement conference.  

In November of 2015 student Matthew Schultz posted on Yik Yak, “Gonna shoot all black people… a smile tomorrow.”  Someone took a screen shot of the post, left off “a smile tomorrow,” and sent it to Tech officials. 

Schultz was charged with disturbing the peace. The charge was eventually dropped, but Schultz was expelled from the university.

Schultz says Tech officials didn’t see the whole post and he was made the “poster boy for white hatred.” 

An attorney for the school says given recent instances of violence on university campuses, Tech’s reaction was appropriate.  He said the post was a threat, not First Amendment protected speech.

A judge in Grand Rapids Federal Court heard from both sides on Tuesday.  The mandatory settlement conference is set for March 24 while he considers the case. 

Nicole was born near Detroit but has lived in the U.P. most of her life. She graduated from Marquette Senior High School and attended Michigan State and Northern Michigan Universities, graduating from NMU in 1993 with a degree in English.
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