A systemwide set of standards for time, place and manner policies went into effect on Aug. 15 across all California State University schools. The new policy comes straight from the CSU Chancellor’s Office.
The policy states that “Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of a democratic society and is essential to the educational process.” However, Cal Poly history lecturer and local California Faculty Association Vice President Cameron Jones says that the new directive raises questions.
“This definitely feels like an attempt to kind of quash speech before there's even a problem, which makes us very nervous right now.”
However, the Chancellor’s Office states in the very first sentence of the policy that it “seeks to foster healthy discourse and exchange of ideas in a safe and peaceful manner.”
“I think to me, it's very important that this policy has clear definitions and clearly articulates that the Chancellor's Office and the CSU as a whole does not want to infringe upon the First Amendment rights of students, of people (who) gather here at our college campuses and universities," fourth-year student Tyler Coari explained.
According to Coari, who is getting a master's degree in public policy, he says some students are concerned about how they’ll be able to gather and protest on campus.
Another Fourth-year student told KSBY in an e-mail: "I think the main concern myself and other students have is that the campus is no longer ours," citing that she believes the changes "were made in response to the recent pro-Palestinian protests that occurred towards the end of the 2023-2024 school year."
“Those components of it may be really important for students here because it impacts where they're able to assemble and where they're able to disrupt part of the campus environment,” Coari added.
For faculty, Jones noted that a major concern for them was the prohibition of signage, which now needs to be approved by administration.
“Will that have to be approved if we have a picket sign on campus? Right, so if we go on strike again, which we did last year, would all of our signs have to be approved?”
Other policy regulations include “no disguises or concealment of identity,” which would entail no masks at gatherings and protests leaving students to question what enforcement would look like.
“What folks are talking about a bit more now is how it will be enforced and if that enforcement will change now that there is a systemwide policy at the campus level," Coari said.
As of right now, there is a campus addendum for each CSU school that gives each school oversight, implementation and enforcement of the systemwide policy.
KSBY reached out to the university and asked how Cal Poly will be implementing the policies. In a response, the school's communications department referred community reporter Dylan Foreman to the Cal Poly website section on free speech. In an email statement, Cal Poly Assistant Vice President for Communications and Media Relations, Matt Lazier, said:
Free speech is critical, and the university believes in and fully supports lawful protests and demonstrations. At the same time, the rest of the university has the right to be able to function normally. And one of the most important responsibilities of the university is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all members of the campus community.
