Oswego State’s Faculty Assembly will vote on a proposal that will define the campus’ freedom of speech policy, as there is not a defined policy currently in place.
“We see all these issues on other campuses where there’s issues with [free speech] and we want to have policies in place for when problems do arise,” said Student Association Vice President Edward Kelly. “The policies were created by a task force that included multiple news writers and multiple students, and they’re going to propose it at faculty assembly this week.”
According to the proposal, Oswego State aims to put these policies in place to reflect the U.S. Constitution and promote debates and freedom to express ideas. The bill states: “Our commitment to free speech stems from our legal obligations, as well as a dedication to an open academic climate…The college will remain a neutral venue and provide the same level of safety and respect to all speakers.”
A location has already been designated as a public forum. The Faculty Assembly chose the concrete area near Hewitt Hall and Lanigan Hall, and Mahar Hall, which they referred to as “The Sundial.” Although this is a public forum, the bill does have certain limitations to what can be done in the area. For example, amplification of sound is prohibited because of how close it is to academic buildings, where classes can be held at the same time.
In the bill, Oswego State also laid out certain circumstances where parts of campus are reserved for usage and cannot be reserved by a third party, such as in the events of orientation, exams and graduation.
The bill also proposes that the Oswego State campus must have a free speech area for third party organizations, barring time, manner and place restrictions. And the third party must reserve the space.
According to the bill, “Third parties planning to use the space designated as a public forum for third party free speech must complete a designated public forum application and file the application with the department of Campus Life three (3) business days before the date when the applicant wants to use the designated public forum space.”
Photo by Maria Pericozzi | The Oswegonian
