A Willamette University student reads a statement as students occupy a portion of the Mark O. Hatfield Library on campus in May 2024, during a student-led action. The private, liberal arts college has unveiled new guidelines that include limits on campus demonstrations, that some students see as a restriction of free speech.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
On Sept. 25, about a month into the fall semester at Willamette University, the school sent out a notice to its students, faculty and wider campus community. The university, with a main campus in Salem, invited public comment on two proposed policies: updated posting rules and a new campus demonstration policy.
Sophomore Sophie Gelfand said the proposals came as a shock to her and caused an immediate stir among some of her classmates and professors.
“The general sentiment right now is that we are disappointed in Willamette’s administration as a whole,” said Gelfand, who is also the president of the Willamette Students for a Democratic Society. “We’re disappointed because we were sold the idea that this is a place where we turn knowledge into action and it’s actively being discouraged.”
Willamette University is not alone in its effort to update how it governs free speech. After widespread student-led protests against the war in Gaza at college campuses across the nation last spring, many universities took a hard look at their policies and introduced changes. But some students at Willamette believe the proposed rules have the potential to stifle their First Amendment rights.
The proposed posting policy is an update to existing rules already in place. Among other things, it outlines the approval process for hanging banners, posting flyers and writing with chalk on sidewalks. The policy goes as far as limiting the size of posters and specifying the acceptable types of sidewalk chalk. It also governs where messages can be placed on campus.
Related: Students across Oregon rally against war in Gaza
The demonstration policy proposal is new and incorporates university policies on property damage, harmful behavior and disruptive behavior. It lays out expectations of students from the university, including a 48-hour advance notice for all planned demonstrations and an obligation to obey federal, state and local laws.
“The policies limit our ability to demonstrate,” Gelfand said. “The point of protest is to disrupt and if we have to tell the university 48 hours before we do any kind of protest that’s not helpful. That goes against the nature of protest.”
In an emailed statement, a spokesperson with Willamette University said the policies aim to foster an environment where diverse viewpoints can be expressed responsibly, civil disobedience can occur within reasonable bounds and the rights and safety of all community members are protected.
Related: Student protests over Gaza continue at UO, Willamette University
Willamette saw its fair share of protests on its Salem campus last school year. In May, over two dozen students occupied two different buildings, including a portion of the Mark O. Hatfield Library, for several days. The Willamette Students for a Democratic Society, a group not listed as an official student organization by the university, organized the occupations and demanded the university sever ties to the U.S. military.
The Willamette demonstrations largely did not disrupt classes and ended peacefully. That’s a stark difference from protests at other universities across the nation, including at Portland State University, in which students shut down classes, caused millions of dollars in property damage, and law enforcement clashed with protesters.
Gelfand believes the university’s new proposals over protests and signs are a direct response to the Salem campus demonstrations. And that’s not surprising, according to Kent Cassella, a higher education specialist with the crisis management firm Blue Moon Consulting Group.
“When we look at an institution like Willamette and the policies they’re proposing, they’re right in step with everybody else,” Cassella said. Willamette’s proposals are similar to policies in place at Portland State, Oregon State University and the University of Oregon.
FILE - People gather outside the Mark O. Hatfield Library on the campus of Willamette University in Salem, Ore., Saturday, April 27, 2019. The library was the site of a student-led demonstration protesting the war in Gaza this spring.
Bradley W. Parks / OPB
Blue Moon has been busy this past summer, helping public and private colleges of all sizes across the U.S. create and update free speech policies. Willamette University did not use a consultant to form its proposed rules.
Cassella said last spring’s nationwide campus protests made it clear that higher education institutions need to be better prepared to consistently respond to activism. But how to strike a balance between First Amendment rights, safety and the values of the institution has become a major challenge for university leaders.
“There’s a difference between peaceful protest and civil disobedience. Protesters typically like to blur that,” Cassella said. “Institutional leaders have to be able to draw that line and draw it clearly.”
Related: Portland State University closed as demonstrators take over school library
Campus demonstrations on Oct. 7, which marked one year since the Hamas attack that led to Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, were modest compared to last school year’s massive protests. But as the fighting in Gaza continues and with a contentious U.S. presidential election ahead, universities are bracing for more.
For now, there’s no timeline for when Willamette University’s free speech proposals might go into effect. A public comment period ended Oct. 10. A university spokesperson said administrators will take as much time as necessary to review comments, revise and finalize the draft policies.
