The University of Miami has implemented new restrictions on demonstrations, aiming to control protests permitted on campus following the widespread demonstrations on U.S. campuses last spring.
The updated policies enforced by UM in the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook state that demonstrators “may not set up or utilize encampment-like material, …must not have signs or flags exceeding the size restriction of 24’’ by 36’’, … [and] may not carry, possess, or use face shields or masks or other masks or disguises.”
Although demonstrations are permitted at UM, they are regulated by the Dean of Students Office and can only be scheduled by “recognized University organizations and full-or part-time students.”
“On campus demonstrations can only take place after the approval of the Dean of Students Office on the respective campus, on a first‐come, first‐served basis and based on availability of the proposed on campus location.”
According to University of Miami’s Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook, the university “reserves the right to use its sole discretion to refuse any request for the use of University space or facilities deemed inconsistent with the values and mission of the University including those events that may cause a disruption or cause danger to the health and safety of others or cause violence.”
Because of these restrictions, during an active demonstration, any UM official who suspects a violation of these policies has the right to request to see Cane Cards for proof of enrollment.
“Campus safety and the safety of our community members and visitors are paramount,” the Dean of Students Office said. “When we address those aspects, others are addressed as well.”
UM administrators began preparing for the upcoming semester this summer by reviewing policies in the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.
“We have a history of policy review, as it is done annually,” the Dean of Students Office told The Hurricane in a statement. “A task force was also conducted in 2018-2019 to ensure policies were up to date. A similar task force was constituted in 2024 to review our policies and ensure that various community partners contributed to the updates to ensure thoroughness. As times evolve, so must our policies.”
The Dean of Students Office ended their statement with, “As our campus community is unique, we will continue to review ways to implement approaches that are unique to our campus.”
UM, a private university located on private property, has had policies in place regarding demonstrations before this semester. Private institutions’ are not obliged to follow the same First Amendment responsibilities of public schools, which allows them to monitor who is allowed to demonstrate on campus and to what extent.
David Weinert, a senior lecturer in the School of Communication, has recently moved from Michigan to Florida, bringing with him a plethora of experiences and a wealthy background in teaching.
Weinert has taught at both private and public universities for over 24 years, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Syracuse University, UNLV, the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, Penn State University Park, the University of Michigan, Wayne State University and the University of Detroit Mercy. He is also the acting Chair of the Law & Policy Division of the Broadcast Education Association.
Through his experience, Weinert is able to compare the political activism at UM against that at public institutions.
“It’s a well known fact that private universities don’t have the same obligations, under the First Amendment, as the public institutions of higher learning,” Weinert said. “That said, I’d like to think that university administrators, even at the private schools, support a marketplace of ideas approach to learning for all faculty and students.”
The American Association for University Professors released a statement on Aug. 14, condemning “overly restrictive policies” enacted by university officials in response to student protests last year.
“Policies, which go beyond reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions, impose severe limits on speech and assembly that discourage or shut down freedom of expression,” the statement by the AAUP said.
Weinert, a member of the AAUP, commented that it is common for both public and private schools to impose guidelines for demonstrations on campus.
“We have to remember that free speech, while pivotal in a democracy, isn’t absolute,” Weinert said. “At the same time, … all universities (i.e., even private) are bound, by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, to enforce campus policies in a manner that doesn’t discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national origin.”