Rhode Island College settled a lawsuit on Tuesday with a student group that said the public institution had violated its free-speech rights.

The case stemmed from an incident in 2005 in which the college’s Women’s Studies Organization hung signs near a campus entrance to protest reports that some pharmacists had refused to fill prescriptions for contraceptives because of religious beliefs.

“Keep your rosaries off our ovaries” and “Our bodies, our choice,” the signs said. The college removed them, and the students, backed by the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, sued.

Under the settlement, the college will pay $5,000 to the group and reimburse $6,350 in legal fees. College officials said the case was never about free speech, only sign policy, which has since been clarified. Any signs visible from the two entrances or main roadway must now be “directional in nature for events that are taking place on the campus,” said Jane Fusco, a college spokeswoman.

“We have to maintain the integrity of the campus entrances, so it does not distract the ongoing traffic in any way,” she said. “There are other areas on campus that students can … be more specific in their message.”

They just might. “I hope this settlement will encourage other student groups to be more vocal with their views,” said Jennifer Magaw, president of the women’s group, in a written statement. “College is a place for the free exchange of ideas.” —Sara Lipka