Permitted Activities and Limitations

As a community of scholars, Emory is committed to an environment where open expression of ideas is valued, promoted, and encouraged peaceably within the limits of the Respect for Open Expression policy. Demonstrations and rigorous debate are permitted while simultaneously disruptions to the operations of the university, harassment and/or discrimination are not. The university may regulate the time, place, and manner of expressive activities to both safeguard expressive rights and ensure the achievement of its educational mission. It is important to keep in mind that your peers not only attend classes on campus but also live, eat and work here.

The Respect for Open Expression policy does:

  • Provide allocated spaces for expression. Students are encouraged to reserve space.
  • Establish content-neutral time, place, and manner requirements for expressive activities on campus.
  • Provide trained faculty and staff as Open Expression Observers whose role is to guide the community in understanding the policy and provide space for expression in alignment with the policy.

The Respect for Open Expression policy does not allow for:

  • Violation of federal, state, local or other applicable law (including gaining unauthorized access to restricted areas, refusing to leave restricted areas if instructed, defacing of public and/private property, etc.)
  • Interference unreasonably with the activities and rights of other persons
  • Interference unreasonably with the general operations of the university
  • Activities that endanger health or safety
  • Impeding the movement in a university location
  • Causing injury to persons or property or threatening to cause such injury
  • Uses or threats of violence or force, or encouragement of others to do so
  • Harassment or discrimination
  • Violations of reasonable noise levels
Specific examples of prohibited activities include, but are not limited to:
  • Overnight outdoor camping and overnight outdoor sleeping on Emory property.
  • Encampments on Emory property.
  • Building occupations and/or building takeovers.
  • Protests or demonstrations between the hours of midnight and 7 a.m.