As members of a public university — a university which claims to value “maximum freedom of speech” as “vital to our shared goal of learning” — we reject the University’s recent efforts to restrict protests and demonstrations and to intimidate organizers and students. Regardless of legality, this updated policy places undue pressures on individuals and organizations trying to make their voices heard — voices which so often belong to the most disempowered and disadvantaged  members of our community.

Among the many changes, the most concerning was the dramatic reduction of available space for protests to take place. Not only has the list of “recognized” locations been cut in half, even excluding the omission of the campus Quad, but the University has also removed a provision which read, “Not having a reservation is not sufficient reason for terminating any protests.” In its place is a requirement for five days’ notice with an Advance Notification Form that threatens disciplinary action, removal from campus, and criminal charges for “disruptive” behavior. Disruptive behavior includes, among other things, protests in almost every indoor space; demonstrations louder than 70 decibels, which is roughly the level of conversation in a crowded room; wearing a face covering that could potentially “conceal” your  identity; and broadly, anything which the University deems is “interfering with instructional activities and other University business and campus events.”

UMass Boston’s students come from a diverse array of backgrounds, and last fall, it was reported that 61% of undergraduates are first-generation, and many more are working-class. The Advance Notification Form states that “Demonstration Organizers may be required to provide a general liability insurance certificate if the demonstration poses significant risk or liability concerns” and that organizers must “accept responsibility for reimbursing the University for the cost of cleaning, repairing, or replacing any damaged University property, as well as any associated staff hours,” including staff hours spent policing demonstrations. Not only is this language intentionally vague, but it is also purposefully intimidating, putting a price on our right to free speech — a bill that many students cannot pay.

These changes are not unique, nor is this an isolated situation. There has been an increase in college administrations across the country enforcing similar restrictions in response to the student movement for Palestine. Unlike other institutions — namely Emerson College, Harvard University and UMass Amherst, among others — UMass Boston did not experience a student encampment, nor the widespread repressive and callous response carried out by the police yet has explicitly banned tents from campus.

Additionally, there is now a ban on chalking statements which contain “hate-oriented language,” and with no clear definition of “hate-oriented” provided, it stands to reason that this may be applied uncritically to a variety of campaigns. It begs the question: when support for Gaza is often categorized as hateful or even violent, how will the University impartially and rationally decide which sentiments are acceptable, and which “will be removed immediately?” UMass Boston, as a public institution which claims to “serve as a forum for ideas, and as an academic home for [its] students,” is now creating a significant roadblock to that communal objective.

We, as students, activists, and leaders, are the heart and the soul of UMass Boston’s remarkable community.

We therefore demand that the University remove these restrictions from the 2024 Space Use Policy. The many negative impacts of this policy affect more than just students — they reach the University’s faculty, unions, and other organizers, all of whom we stand in solidarity with. We have all been overlooked and ignored, and we reject Vice Chancellor Karen Ferrer-Muñiz’ attempts to placate us and continue this tradition of oppression.

Standing together as a united student body, we refuse to be silenced, and instead demand to be heard.

Signed:

Elijah Horwath, Managing Editor, The Mass Media

Naomi Bethune, Opinions Editor, The Mass Media

Rena Weafer, Editor-in-Chief, The Mass Media

African Student Union

Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine

Muslim Students Association

Pakistani Students Association

Students for Justice in Palestine

Young Communist League