VCU introduces interim policies for free speech, expression

Molly Manning, Contributing Writer

VCU Division of Student Affairs released a new revision of the Reservation and Use of Space policy on Aug. 9.

The new interim policy contains new regulations regarding events as well as forms of expression, such as chalking. This is the first revision of the policy since it was initially released in 2017.

This is the policy VCU said was violated by the pro-Palestine encampment erected last semester on April 29. The day after the encampment, students gathered in the same grassy area in front of Cabell Library when student affairs representatives and police distributed a flyer about the policy.

When asked if the new policy was in response to the April 29 protest, Dr. Aaron Hart, vice president for student affairs, said the protests were not the push for it.

They had begun looking at the policy with input from students and student groups in the spring of 2023, Hart said. However, the policy change was released in August.

The purpose for the interim policy is to “provide requirements for expressive activity on university property in its various forms,” and to “enable VCU to carry out its academic mission, promote a safe environment, and preserve the functional and aesthetic integrity of the campus,” according to the policy.

The Compass is specifically noted as being unavailable for events, and as far as tabling, student organizations may “reserve a designated location near the edge of the Compass.”

The Park Plaza Amphitheater next to the Singleton Center on the Monroe Park Campus and Patterson Gardens on the MCV campus are the dedicated areas for reserved major events.

Hart said the Compass is no longer available for events because “we got a lot of student complaints that it was just too much noise.”

“This is not necessarily only dealing with protests. So the non-protest noise was actually more influential in this discussion than anything else,” Hart said.

The noise and cheering from volleyball games and other activities that took place outside the library became a problem for some students, according to Hart. Students complained often about not being able to hear because of it.

He wants to encourage students to express themselves, and the university does not seek to restrict the ability to do so — they merely changed the location, Hart said.

“We want the Commons to be the hub of the campus. That’s where we want all of our students. So there’s more of an audience for the protesting,” Hart said. “But for those students who may feel as if this is punitive, that’s why Dr. Willis and the campus group also created that second spot in Park Plaza, which is only about 100 yards away from the Compass.”

The new policy prohibits chalking on any portion of the Compass. The two locations in which chalking is permitted on the Monroe Park Campus are the concrete sidewalks surrounding Harris Hall and the sidewalk in Park Plaza Amphitheater, according to the policy.

Tabling in the Compass is a popular activity for many student organizations. Abdullah Mohamed, the VCU NAACP co-membership committee chair, said the organization has used the space for housing petitions in previous semesters.

Students frequently used the Compass last semester to share messages in chalk, yet when students complied with the chalking rules in place at the time, their messages were washed away by morning without fail, according to Mohamed.

Mikayla Braswell, the undergraduate student engagement coordinator for the VCU Libraries, said most of what she saw in chalk last semester were statements about Gaza and boycotting Starbucks.

Braswell also noted that now expression can be more difficult because that area is such a central location for students and said she hopes there will be a comparable alternative.

Associate Vice President and Dean of Student Advocacy Gabe Willis said people should note that the new policies are subject to change based on input.

“That is extremely important to note that it’s interim, and before any policy will become a permanent policy, the university will provide opportunities for student, faculty and staff input into any policies before they become permanent,” Willis said.

This policy comes amidst other universities sharing similar policies and regulations for the upcoming school year following the protests and encampments at many universities last year over Israel’s destructive campaign in Gaza, according to The Guardian.

Cristina Sayegh, an organizer for Students for Justice for Palestine at VCU, shared that SJP had already reserved dates and times for chalking in the Compass during the fall semester before the policy change.

In reference to VCU’s policy change, Sayegh said, “I’m not surprised, right now cross-comparing to other universities I’m not surprised, but I’m very disappointed.”