Freedom of Speech
on a SUNY Campus
What You Need to Know
SUNY New Paltz is a public university, and like all public universities we respect and support the rights of free speech guaranteed by the constitutions of the United States and the State of New York.
Know Your Rights & Responsibilities!
Our academic community values civility and tolerance for diverse viewpoints. The free expression of ideas, including unpopular ideas, is critical to our mission to prepare graduates to thrive in a democratic society.
If you encounter speech you find disagreeable,
DO:
- voice your opinion
- engage in constructive dialogue
- ignore the speaker and deny them attention
DO NOT:
- block or obstruct a message either physically or with disruptive noise
- destroy property
- be physically or verbally threatening
- obstruct University operations
The views of the individuals speaking on campus are theirs alone. Our protections for free speech should not be interpreted as SUNY New Paltz endorsing all views expressed on our campus. We condemn and will take appropriate action against individuals who engage in acts of hatred, bigotry, racism, intolerance and violence on our campus.
Freedom of Speech Resources and Policies
Freedom Of Expression & Assembly Student Policy & Procedures (Time, Place and Manner Regulations)
Use of Facilities by Third Parties for Free Speech
Student Union & Campus Events Policy Manual
Camping and Use of Tents on Campus Policy
2024 Faculty Handbook - Faculty Responsibilities Regarding Academic Freedom [page 35]
Heckler’s Veto Violates the First Amendment and Student Code of Conduct
Freedom of Speech on Campus Essentials
Yes. The Constitutional right to free speech as set forth in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution affirms, with few exceptions, the lawfulness of individuals’ and groups’ right to communicate virtually any idea regardless of how widely shared or accepted by others it may be.
Yes. However, any restriction must be content-neutral and narrowly tailored to serve a significant government interest. In general, this means that the University can determine the time, place and manner of speech so as to ensure minimal interference with the operation of the University, its provision of services, and people’s access to it.
The Supreme Court has said that public entities such as SUNY New Paltz have discretion in regulating the “time, place, and manner” of speech.
As a public entity, partially funded by NYS tax dollars, the university will provide a designated public forum to third parties outside of the campus community for their exercise of free speech rights. To comply with existing law, the University recognizes that it will be dedicating its scarce resources to third parties, including staff time for the management of the designated public forum, the cost associated/loss of revenue with the use of space itself, and
possibly utilizing University Police and other administrative offices’ staff, to provide for the public safety of participants.
In drafting and adopting this policy, the University weighed its competing obligations and responsibilities:
- to meet its educational mission;
- to meet its legal obligations as a public entity to provide a designated public forum for free speech by third parties;
- to meet its audit and control obligations in managing NYS property under its jurisdiction, and to meet its obligations for the orderly and safe operation of its Campus, while responsibly managing and allocating its scarce resources in pursuit of its education mission for its students.
SUNY New Paltz strives to ensure a safe environment for all constitutionally-protected speech, regardless of its content, and encourages campus members to fully understand their right to free speech under the First Amendment. The University also supports forums and symposia on controversial topics where they can be discussed and debated in an intellectually-stimulating and productive manner.
As a public university, we embrace principles of free speech, and we have an engaged student body that practices their free speech rights. We are an inclusive community striving to welcome and support everyone, regardless of their points of view. Part of our educational mission is to promote open dialogue and educate students about the importance of free expression, respectful civil discourse, and tolerance for differing views and ideas. As a public institution, the law prevents us from regulating speech based on content, even when that speech is uncomfortable or hurtful to individuals in our community. Even speech that feels hateful is protected as free speech. In these circumstances, we support the rights of our students to speak out about speech they find to be offensive or hateful. There are some kinds of speech that are not acceptable on our campus, and we have clear policies in place defining such disallowed speech. Harassment and true threats are not protected by the First Amendment and are not tolerated at SUNY New Paltz.
Yes. SUNY New Paltz has a robust Bias Response Reporting process in place as a support for members of our community who experience such incidents on or off campus. We condemn and take appropriate action against individuals who engage in acts of hatred, bigotry, racism, intolerance and violence on our campus. Questions about this process can be directed to LGBTQ+ and Diversity Manager Nico Martinez-Olivera (845-257-3168).
Campus employees across the institution, including Student Affairs professionals, our University Police Department, peer leaders and many others, are trained and dedicated to maintaining a campus climate where students can feel empowered and protected in expressing their identities and core beliefs. We are fully committed to the safety of all who set foot on our campus, especially our students.
Available resources for students include our Psychological Counseling Center (845-257-2920) and the OASIS peer-crisis hotline (845-257-4945).
Resources for employees include the Employee Assistance Program (845 257-2886).
