For generations, students have been part of a proud democratic tradition on college campuses: protest. Protests allow students to express their views, participate in the public conversation, and draw attention to issues that matter to them. But protest also poses challenges. Institutions must make sure that students can safely get to class without being blocked by protesters, and they must ensure that students of all backgrounds feel safe on campus. And they must balance the mission of educating students to broaden and challenge their thinking with federal laws, including Title VI, that require universities to provide a learning environment free from discrimination and harassment.
Some of the biggest recent student protests have focused on campus safety and on addressing systemic problems in higher education. Students pushed their universities to address gun safety, sexual assault, and climate change, among other issues. And students are pushing for their institutions to do more to support immigrant students. For example, at Cal State Northridge and Sacramento State University, protestors have called on their schools to declare themselves “sanctuary campuses” and to bar immigration enforcement officers from entering their campus buildings.
Students have the right to engage in civil disobedience and other forms of expression that cross into unprotected conduct and speech, but they should be aware that this can expose them to arrest. They should be mindful that it is illegal to interfere with law enforcement officers performing their duties, and they should not film police activity unless permitted by campus policy.
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