University rule changes affect protest space on campus

University of Missouri officials have changed policies that will affect gathering spaces and protests on the Mizzou campus.

Officials said the rules change will help campus community members and visitors understand their rights and responsibilities related to campus protests and the use of public space.

The policy changes include the use of facilities, illuminated devices on campus, sound amplification devices, posting materials on campus, chalking on campus and camping on campus.

The university said experts from law, political science, law enforcement, health and safety, public affairs and journalism were consulted during the formation of the new rules and revisions.

Interim chancellor Hank Foley and Faculty Council chair Ben Trachtenberg created the Ad Hoc Joint Committee on Protests, Public Spaces, Free Speech and the Press. The group worked on the policies for more than a year, according to university officials.

Robert Jerry was chair of the committee.

“The University of Missouri had some policies but they weren’t very elaborate, they were hard to find and it seemed clear on the campus community there was not a great deal of understanding about them,” Jerry said. “So what this project did was really to update our policies and articulate in a coherent way what the first amendment allows, what are the constraints, and that was the essence of what we did on the committee.”

A student group camped for an extended time on Francis Quadrangle in November 2015 to protest what it saw as racial issues on campus.

“The events on campus in the fall of 2015 led to the understanding that we needed a better campus wide understanding of how public spaces are used,” Jerry said.

The camping on campus policy prohibits camping on university grounds, in or under structures or in buildings except under approved circumstances.

The policy defines camping as temporary or permanent living quarters anywhere outside residence halls, apartments or other university-managed housing. It defines camping as sleeping outside between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. and sleeping in a parked car beyond the purpose of napping. It also prohibits the use of sleeping bags, mattresses, tents or other sleeping equipment.

“It’d be okay to put a tent on the quad,” Jerry said. “You just can’t sleep in it overnight.”

Another policy change limits the decibel levels of megaphones and other sound amplifying devices. Generally, if the noise isn’t disruptive to classes or offices, no permit is required.

“But if we were going to do something loud out here, like have a band, reasonable people would say, ‘I need to go talk to somebody about this and get a permit.’ We’re not saying you can’t do it, but you’ll need a permit,” Jerry said.

Jerry said these policies aren’t trying to limit free speech or protests on campus. Rather, make sure they’re done in a constructive way.

“It’s important those rights be exercised in responsible and reasonable and lawful ways,” Jerry said.

Protests, planned and spontaneous, are allowed across campus according to state law. However, the university is allowed to restrict those assemblies in certain areas for specific reasons.

“The lawn in front of the nuclear reactor is one,” Jerry said. “The grass in front of the hospital. Parking lots. The football field. There are reasons why those are not wide open to the general public to have a protest.”