Other Voices
As you walk around campus and through the Lory Student Center Plaza, you may pass people who want to talk to you about all sorts of things, including politics, current events and university organizations.
A public university campus has locations that are “open to all individuals for the purpose of exercising free speech and assembly” subject to applicable university policies and their content-neutral time, place, and manner restrictions.
This generally means that members of the public and the CSU community have the right to peacefully express their views in an area of campus that is a public forum or designated public forum, even if those views are controversial or offensive.
When speakers get particularly assertive or obnoxious, it can be annoying, offensive, or even hurtful but it’s usually still protected speech.
The Supreme Court continues to affirm that public colleges and universities can’t punish or censor the expression of an idea simply because it is offensive, disagreeable, or even hateful. In those situations, the Supreme Court recognizes that you can exercise your own free speech rights, or you can walk away.
Often, provocative speakers are looking to get a reaction from people walking by; denying them a strong reaction defeats their objective. As a Supreme Court Justice has said, just because you have the right to say something doesn’t mean that you should say it.
As a public university, CSU can impose reasonable content-neutral restrictions on speech.
Examples of these types of restrictions, which apply to everyone regardless of the content of their speech, include limiting amplification of sound, prohibiting those who engage in speech from blocking entry and exit to buildings or disrupting university activities, and disallowing use of unsafe items.
Outside of an area on campus that is a public forum or designated public forum, such as the Lory Student Center Plaza, there are certain places that are not considered public forums. Those spaces may include, among others, office spaces, classrooms, and residence halls.
In those places, different rules apply – so you want to do some homework about what’s allowed where.