The zones can’t be near any safe spaces.
Via Campus Reform:
A new policy proposal by The City University of New York would limit free speech to designated areas of campus, even as other schools around the country are being forced to eliminate similar policies.
A draft of the policy states that “the educational units of CUNY shall designate areas where members of the University community…will be permitted to set up table,” and that “members of the University community may not demonstrate in places that have not been designated for demonstrations.”
Students who do not adhere to the policy would face intervention from campus police officers or external law enforcement authorities, as well as disciplinary measures from the university.
The proposal has faced significant backlash from students and faculty.
The CUNY Doctoral Students Council (DSC) released a statement denouncing the policy, saying it blocks students’ ability to “gather in shared CUNY spaces, engage in peaceful protest, and participate meaningfully in their campus life,” adding that any policies limiting student expression “are an assault on the inalienable rights of free speech and assembly.”
Azhar Majeed, Director of Policy Reform at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), told Campus Reform that public universities are “fully bound by the First Amendment,” and that establishing specific zones where speech can occur is “antithetical to the mission of universities.”
In fact, multiple universities have been sued recently by students who believe free speech zones infringe on their rights to free speech, including the University of Georgia, the University of South Carolina, and Paradise Valley Community College.
In addition, Arizona passed a law last month clarifying that free speech zones on public college and university campuses violate students’ right to free expression.