Free Speech Zones on Campus On far too many campuses nationwide, universities unreasonably restrict students’ expressive activities to limited areas—so-called “free speech zones.”

WONDERING WHERE YOU FIT?

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania University of Ill. at Urbana–Champaign Roughly 1 in 6 of America’s top Longwood University University of Illinois at Chicago Montclair State University University of Iowa Morehead State University University of Kentucky colleges and universities have Northern Illinois University University of Mass. at Dartmouth Pennsylvania State University University of Massachusetts–Amherst Purdue University University of Miami free speech zones. Purdue University–Calumet University of Missouri–Columbia Radford University University of Montana Appalachian State University Calif. State University–San Marcos Rutgers University University of N.C.–Pembroke Arkansas State University California State University–Fresno Saint Cloud State University University of Nevada, Las Vegas Armstrong Atlantic State University Cameron University Southeastern Louisiana University University of New Orleans Auburn University Clarion University of Pennsylvania Stanford University University of South Alabama Auburn University Montgomery East Carolina University Texas A&M University–College Station University of South Carolina Columbia Ball State University Elizabeth City State University Texas Woman’s University University of South Dakota Bowling Green State University Florida State University Troy University University of Southern Mississippi Calif. State Polytechnic University Frostburg State University University of California–Berkeley University of West Florida Calif. State University–Channel Islands Georgetown University University of California–Riverside University of West Georgia Calif. State University–Chico Indiana University–Bloomington University of Central Arkansas Utah Valley University Calif. State University–Dominguez Hills Iowa State University University of Delaware Valdosta State University Calif. State University–Los Angeles Keene State College University of Georgia Wichita State University Calif. State University–San Bernardino Kentucky State University University of Hawaii at Hilo

FREE SPEECH ZONES OFTEN HAVE THESE COMMON CHARACTERISTICS

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PRE-REGISTRATION LIMITED USE LIMITED AREA “This space must be “Speech/assembly activities “The University of Southern reserved a minimum will be limited to one two (2) Mississippi will provide of five (5) business days hour time limit per seven (7) a speaker’s corner on in advance.” day period, commencing the Weathersby Lawn.” LONGWOOD UNIVERSITY Monday of each week.” UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA UNIVERSITY

CAMPUS FREE SPEECH ZONES RUN AFOUL OF THE CONSTITUTION

UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI University of Cincinnati Chapter of Young Americans for Liberty v. Williams (2012)

In a 2012 case, a federal judge ruled that the University of Cincinnati’s free speech zone “violates the First Amendment and cannot stand.”

The policy VIOLATING THIS required that all POLICY MAY BE “demonstrations, CHARGED WITH pickets, and “ANYONE TRESPASSING.” rallies”and other expressive activity occur in the free speech zone and be registered with the university 0.1% of the university’s 137-acre West Campus was 10 covered by working days in advance. the FSZ.

“NO MORE THAN ONE MUSICAL OR SPEAKING ACTIVITY IS PERMITTED AT THE SAME TIME.”

TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY Roberts v. Haragan (2004)

In another federal lawsuit, students at Texas Tech University challenged the school’s lone free speech zone, a single 20 foot-diameter gazebo for a campus of 28,000 students. Texas Tech responded by expanding the number of free speech zones on its campus, but that was not enough to save the university from legal defeat. In 2004, a federal district court judge ruled that Texas Tech’s policy still violated the First Amendment and must be revised to open up more of the campus to free speech.

[T]o the extent [that a] campus has park areas, sidewalks, streets, or other similar common areas, these areas are public forums, at least for the University’s students, irrespective of whether the University has so designated them or not. ROBERTS V. HARAGAN (2004)

If all of Texas Tech’s students wanted to exercise their First Amendment rights at the same time in the original gazebo, you would have to crush them down to the density of Uranium 238!

Each dot represents one student at Texas Tech. The yellow represents the total number of students who could conceivably—not comfortably — fit inside the gazebo at one time.

DOES YOUR SCHOOL HAVE A FREE SPEECH ZONE?

Visit thefire.org/spotlight to access the Spotlight database and find out how well your school’s policies protect free speech.

PROTECTING STUDENT AND FACULTY RIGHTS AT AMERICA’S COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES SINCE 1999

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