Expressive Activity

Purpose:

To establish the policy and procedures that will govern all expressive activities on campus.

Definitions:

Expressive activities:

• meetings and other group activities of students and student organizations;
• speeches, performances, demonstrations, rallies, vigils, and other events by students, student organizations, and outside groups invited by student organizations;
• distribution of literature, such as leaflets and pamphlets; and
• any other expression protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

External groups: community or cultural groups, not-for-profit organizations, state and local government agencies, corporate and commercial organizations, and professional organizations.

Student: any person currently enrolled in any credit, non-credit, or developmental courses offered by J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College (Reynolds).

Student organization: any student organization officially recognized by the Office of Student Life.

Policy:

1. Reynolds property is primarily dedicated to academic, student life, and administrative functions. It also represents the "marketplace of ideas," and especially for students, many areas of campus represent a public forum for speech and other expressive activities. Reynolds shall place restrictions on expressive activities occurring indoors, but especially for students and student organizations, the outdoor areas of campus remain venues for free expression, including meetings, speeches, demonstrations, and the distribution of literature.

2. Indoors or outdoors, Reynolds shall not interfere with the rights of individuals and groups to the free expression of their views nor impermissibly regulate their speech based on its content or viewpoint. Even though Reynolds has established reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions on expressive activity in order to prevent substantial disruption of normal college operations, such restrictions are content-neutral, narrowly tailored to serve a significant college operational interest, and allow ample alternative channels for communication of the information.

3. No event or expressive activity shall be permitted to violate or hinder the rights of others within the campus community or substantially disrupt normal college operations. Hindering the rights of others, however, shall not be defined as promoting ideas that others find disagreeable, offensive, or repulsive. Promoting unpopular ideas is fully protected. Examples of hindering the rights of others include, but are not limited to: preventing others from expressing their views; threatening violence against another person or engaging in violent acts; acting aggressively to try to force others to take leaflets or brochures after the person has declined; blocking others' paths anywhere on campus; and other similar acts to deprive others of their rights.

Procedures:

Procedure for Reynolds Policy 1-38, Expressive Activity

Other Information: