Since October 2023, students across the nation have spoken out in protest of the U.S. government’s funding and equipping of Israel to commit genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. In addition, this past spring saw a rise in the establishment of encampments to demand that their universities divest funds from pro-Israel groups.
However, U.S. university administrations have been quick to crack down on pro-Palestinian student speech, as evident by the banning of several students and withholding of their degrees.
In October 2024, four students at Cornell University were given a three-year persona non grata in response to their involvement in a pro-Palestinian protest. “Persona non grata” status refers to a visitor exhibiting behavior that the university considers harmful to their community, resulting in that visitor being prohibited from entering campus grounds—in essence, a campus ban.
In this situation, the students received this three-year ban for their participation in a pro-Palestinian protest in which students used force to enter Statler Hotel during a career fair. Among the recipients of the persona non grata status is Jacob Berman, the president of Jewish Voice for Peace at Cornell University.
The Coalition for Mutual Liberation at Cornell explained that Cornell is financially complicit in genocide through “investment of its endowment in weapons manufacturers and military technology developers,” which was the reasoning behind the career fair protests. Protestors sought to demand that Cornell University divest from involvement with pro-Israel corporate weapons manufacturers, some of which happened to be recruiting at the career fair where the protest took place.
Other campus crackdowns at public universities such as UCLA feature new policies centered around regulating student protest. For example, UCLA’s new restrictions on student protesting in response to last spring’s encampment are outlined in the new “Time, Place, and Manner” policies.
What do these situations have in common? A crackdown on student speech, and an attempt to regulate pro-Palestinian student protest on university campuses. According to a legal analysis of Pro-Palestine protests written by members of the Boston Bar Association Howard Cooper and Rachel Hutchinson, public universities (like UCLA) must comply with rights granted by the First Amendment.
However, Cooper and Hutchinson elaborate that the 1984 Supreme Court case Clark v. Community for Creative Non-Violence served as a precedent for the establishment of time, place, and manner restrictions.
This case was filed by the National Park Service in response to individuals setting up encampments at Lafayette Park to protest against the treatment of the unhoused.
The Supreme Court acknowledged the symbolism behind such methods of protest. Still, it ruled that the National Park Service could ban protestors from setting up encampments in the park and that such protests were subject to time, place, and manner restrictions.
Despite the legal precedent surrounding Time, Place, and Manner policies, people have questioned the constitutionality of implementing such policies by the California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC) systems. An article by the Los Angeles Public Press explores this topic, with CSU Los Angeles professor Leda Ramos discussing that the TPM policies have a “lack of student/faculty input” and that the policies were implemented “almost strictly in response to…pro-Palestinian protests.”
Furthermore, there is an important question that has been weighing on the minds of many students in light of these new policies: Do these Time, Place, and Manner policies threaten students’ First Amendment rights? USAC seems to think so.
“A Resolution Condemning UCLA’s Interm Time Place Manner Policies” passed unanimously during a USAC meeting on October 1st, 2024. This resolution calls for a revision to TPM policies and the “removal of overly broad, vague, and discretionary language that allows for selective enforcement by the university administration.”
This call for reform specifying “selective enforcement” is elaborated upon in the resolution’s mentioning of Apex Security, who “brutally used force” against pro-Palestine student protestors and were bystanders while students were subject to violent attacks by counter-protestors during the encampment that was set up in Spring 2024.
USAC’s resolution represents student concern and dissatisfaction with UCLA’s vague TPM policies, especially due to the vague nature of the policies, which were elaborated upon in the resolution. The “Time, Place, and Manner” policies are made up of UCLA Policy 850, 852, 860, and 862, each of which outlines regulations for the use of UCLA property, public expression, and events.
UCLA Policy 850 outlines the General Use of UCLA Property. This policy prevents students from camping overnight, blocking entrances or walkways, and concealing their identity “with the aim of intimidating any person or group, or for the purpose of evading or escaping discovery, recognition, or identification” in violations of university policy and laws.
Furthermore, UCLA Policy 852 regulates Public Expression Activities. This policy specifies regulations that UCLA imposes on public expression activities by listing the times, places, and manner in which these activities can occur. Public expression activities will be subject to approval and evaluation “in a content-neutral and viewpoint-neutral manner” by the Chancellor or designated university officials.
Policy 852 specifies that times for Public Expression are limited to between 6 am and midnight. Places for public expression include the following locations:
● “Meyerhoff Park
● Bruin Plaza between Pauley Pavilion and Meyerhoff Park
● Plaza between Pauley Pavilion and James West Alumni Center
● East Bruinwalk between the Student Activities Center, Ackerman, and the north tip of Gateway Plaza
● Lawns and walkways between Meyerhoff Park, Student Activities Center, Janss Steps, and the east side of Powell Library
● Southeast corner of Dickson Court South
● West outdoor entrance area of Murphy Hall”
Additionally, the manner of public expression described in 852 explains that groups may not disrupt vehicle and foot traffic, or interfere with administration, research, and instruction. Regulations around the sound are also specified, “Amplified sound is permitted on BruinWalk without prior approval, except between the hours of midnight and 6 am. However, in other areas of public expression, amplified sound without prior approval is permitted from noon to 1 pm provided that sound levels do not disrupt activities in nearby buildings. Amplified sound isn’t allowed during week 10 and finals week without prior approval.
In continuation, policy 860 highlights guidelines for organized events, and Policy 862 covers policies for major events, including security and interference assessments. UCLA Policy 862 explains that security measures for major events may include “adjusting the venue, date, and/or time of the event; providing additional law enforcement or other safety-related personnel; imposing controls or security checkpoints; requiring increased ticketing measures as described below; and creating buffer zones around the venue.” Although the University is within its legal rights to implement TPM policies, it is important to call into question how our administration can uphold its commitment to free speech while ensuring campus safety and inclusivity.
Pro-Palestinian students on campus have felt as though protests, such as the encampment, and religious solidarity events, such as the Gaza Solidarity Sukkah, have been met with excessive policing. With many of these students being minorities, Muslim, and pro-Palestinian, the presence of police has made them feel anxious about their safety and their ability to speak up about issues that matter to them.
The recent restrictions on pro-Palestinian student speech on U.S. university campuses highlight a troubling trend of limiting freedom of expression, especially after
the start of President Donald Trump’s second term in office. Experts estimate that a directive recently signed by the President might result in “another travel ban targeting Muslim-majority countries,” which could be used to target the pro-Palestinian speech of international students.
Despite the legal framework allowing universities to establish time, place, and manner restrictions, the selective enforcement of these policies disproportionately targets pro-Palestinian activism. As universities like UCLA continue to implement and enforce Time, Place, and Manner policies, it is important to call on the administration of UCLA and other universities with TPM policies to promote fairness and equity when implementing and practicing such policies.
Works Cited:
Cooper, H., & Hutchinson, R. (2024, October 31). Free Speech on College Campuses—Legal Analysis Post 2023/24 Pro-Palestine Protests. 68(4). Harb, A. (2025, January 24). Trump decree paves way for “Muslim ban”, targeting pro-Palestine students. Al Jazeera.
Kriedler, M. (2024, September 30). Are the new CSU and UC protest restrictions unconstitutional? Los Angeles Public Press.
Lucas, J. (2024, October 19). Cornell imposes three-year campus ban on four students involved in Sept. Protest. The Ithaca Voice. Ohio Admin. Code 3344-90-03—Policy regarding “persona non grata” status for campus visitors. (n.d.). In Legal Information Institute.