Though the public comment period for Ohio University's interim “Freedom of Expression” and “Use of Outdoor Space” policies has ended, debate about the future of the policies continues.
After numerous student groups — including both the OU College Democrats and College Republicans — condemned the policies, OU President Duane Nellis extended the public comment period to Friday. During a Friday news conference, Nellis discussed the next steps for revising the policies.
“We’ve certainly gained a tremendous amount of input as part of the process. And that’s what we wanted,” Nellis said. “I’ve had the opportunity — and I know (interim Executive Vice President and Provost) Dr. (David) Descutner has as well — to meet with the different senates (and) various constituencies across the university.”
Moving forward, Nellis said the plan is to appoint an advisory committee within the next week. The committee, which will review comments on the policy, will be composed of students, faculty, staff and university administrators.
The interim “Freedom of Expression” policy bans “demonstrations, rallies, public speech-making, picketing, sit-ins, marches, protests and similar assemblies” indoors, other than reservable spaces on campus, and allows the university to limit conduct that disrupts its operations, interferes with student activities or poses safety risks.
In a Friday news release, Nellis wrote the interim policies “permit all forms of constitutionally protected speech,” including protests and rallies, in “virtually every outdoor space” and reservable indoor space.
About 100 protesters marched across campus Friday after a rally on the steps of the Athens County Courthouse in opposition to the policies.
“We are here for something much greater than freedom of speech,” Ziad Abu-Rish, an assistant professor of history, said. “We are not alone — the campus has spoken unanimously.”
The protesters demanded the university rescind the interim policies, fund “all relevant legal costs” of the 70 protesting students arrested in Baker Center in February, refuse to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, and provide certain resources to students affected by recent travel restrictions.
The protesters called for for the resignation of several high-level university administrators, should they “fail to meet the demands outlined.” Those administrators were Nellis, Descutner, General Counsel John Biancamano, Dean of Students Jenny Hall-Jones, and Vice President for Student Affairs and interim Chief Diversity Officer Jason Pina.
According to the results of a Student Senate survey sent to Athens campus students, 58 percent of students said the “Freedom of Expression” policy “needs major change/rewrite,” 23 percent said the policy is “good as is,” and 19 percent said the policy “needs some change.”
A proposed Student Senate rewrite of the policy, titled “Rules and Regulations for Demonstrations on the Athens Campus,” makes several revisions and reworks the provision on demonstrations and similar assemblies indoors.
The interim policy forbids those activities inside university buildings, but the senate rewrite proposes the activities be “permitted to the extent that they do not inhibit the safety of any individual, deny the right to education of another individual, or stop the flow of pedestrian or vehicular traffic.”
Center for International Studies Senator Zach Reizes, the main sponsor of the policy rewrite, addressed the senate Oct. 11, and said the proposed changes “hit on the safety of students.”
“I believe that the tone we struck is really good,” he said.
