U. Free Expression policy bans encampments, requires notice for demonstrations

Last week, the University published a digital repository of policies and statements pertaining to free expression, protesting and advocacy for students and faculty across all three campuses.

The resource was first introduced through an email from University President Jonathan Holloway in which he acknowledged the impact and value of diverging viewpoints and their advocacy on campus.

He further explained that the site is intended to educate members of the Rutgers community as they exercise their rights to free speech while also maintaining their wellbeing and continuity of the University's academic goals, medical care and general operations.

"Discussion and debate about these critical issues are an important part of the intellectual experience at Rutgers," Holloway's email read. "As we hold those conversations, both formal and informal, I once again call on our students, faculty and staff to be a model for the nation in civil discourse, in listening and in civic engagement."

Statements on the matter, alongside policies governing various elements of free speech can be found through dropdown menus on the site. Those pertaining to protests, demonstrations and campaigning on campus now explicitly detail designated public forums for protestors to speak and gather at, as well as the procedure for gaining permission to gather.

Each New Brunswick and Rutgers Biomedical Health Sciences campus has one designated public forum, while the Newark and Camden campuses have two and four designated spaces, respectively.

To use any space in accordance with those purposes, Rutgers community members must now submit a Free Expression Notification form at least three days prior to their planned date. For events that cannot be scheduled due to spur-of-the-moment happenings, demonstrators must still submit the form and speak with an advisor for approval.

Approved protests also now have time restrictions and must be conducted between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Demonstrators will also be required to present their permits when requested and to cover the costs associated not only with damages but also for public safety and traffic measures. They are also prohibited from using bullhorns, megaphones or hand-built structures.

The site also gave a nod to historical activism on campus, sharing a picture of a large protest in the 1970s that led to the creation of the Department of Africana Studies at the University.

The link to the resource was sent to the Rutgers community through a subsequent email from the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Antonio Calcado. His email specifically noted that "consistent with (the University's) existing policies, no encampments will be permitted."

The prohibition of encampments is likely related to the pro-Palestinian encampments at Voorhees Mall on the New Brunswick campus and at Rutgers Law School on the Newark campus during the Spring 2024 semester.

The Students for Justice in Palestine at Rutgers—New Brunswick, which co-led the encampments, has issued a response to the new policy and its presentation, referring to Holloway's remarks on the matter as "recycled" and the "creation of new cycles of repression."