He claims that his First Amendment rights and civil rights have been violated. That Hearing Board then imposed on him a suspension from Dec. 22, 2025 through Dec. 31, 2026, the lawsuit states. UMass also emphasized that it remains firmly committed to protecting the First Amendment rights of its students, faculty and staff. “UMass suspended a student for exercising his constitutional right to protest a weapons manufacturer and supporter of the ongoing war on Gaza,” Masny-Latos said. In October, the lawsuit states UMass alleged five violations of the code of student conduct: threatening behavior, creating disturbance, disruptive behavior, failure tocomply and violation of university policies and regulations, the picketing code.