Olivia Russo
News Editor
Jordan Alcasas
Social Media Editor
The University of La Verne administration has shared a draft “Policy on Assembly and Demonstrations,” which provides guidelines for the faculty, students and staff at the University if they plan to protest or engage in other political activity on campus.
The proposed policy, however, has raised concerns among faculty who believe it may chill free speech.
The draft of the proposed policy was brought by Chief Student Affairs Officer Juan Regalado to the Faculty Assembly in March.
The proposal comes at a time when demonstrations and protests on college campuses across the nation are under threat, as the Trump Administration is pressuring schools, punishing protestors, and chilling free speech.
ULV does not have an official demonstration policy, but mentions guidelines in course catalogues for keeping the campus community safe.
This specific draft has been in the works for two-to-three years, Regalado said.
According to the draft policy, its “purpose is to ensure that the academic, research, and administrative activities of the University can be carried out in an environment that facilitates the participation of its community members in its educational programs and activities and is safe and free from intimidation or harassment.”
Additionally, according to the policy draft, it “complies with local laws and ordinances governing expressive conduct in the towns where ULV properties are located.”
“We’re getting feedback from students who, at times, felt that some of the groups that were coming to campus to engage in an assembly (or) protest (were) doing it in a way that was not respectful,” Regalado said. “So we needed to have a policy that provided guidance on how to be able to have an assembly and put it in a positive manner,” Regaldo said.
During the March Faculty Assembly meeting, Regalado took questions from faculty members who had concerns about this policy, including Alessandro Morosin, assistant professor of sociology and criminology.
Since the meeting, Morosin has worked with Jennifer Killham, assistant professor of education, to draft a resolution to reject the draft policy as presented.
“We being faculty, we’re not being consulted in any meaningful way,” Morosin said. “The initiative to redraft this policy does not appear to come from faculty at all, and yet it affects the whole campus community,” Morosin said. “So I don’t have much faith in the way faculty had been approached because it doesn’t seem like faculty was involved in initiating this.”
Regalado, in response to the objections that faculty shared at the March meeting, said that he wants to work with all the feedback administration gets, with a specific emphasis on comments from students.
“We’ve talked to students about the policy for feedback and we’ve incorporated some of the feedback and some of the objections are … specifically from faculty,” Regalado said. “I’m trying to get clarity on their concerns and, frankly, get more feedback, to understand that feedback and incorporate it into policies.”
Still Rick Hasse, professor of accounting and finance, said: “This is another one of these examples of the administration passing strategies or resolutions without consulting with anybody.”
Inside the new policy are guidelines to make sure the protest is peaceful, including details such as guidance on how signs may or may not be constructed and posted.
“Any signs or placards may only be made of poster board, cardboard, or other similarly soft and lightweight material and may not be attached to a pole or other object that could be used
to inflict harm,” the proposed policy reads. “Signs or placards may be carried, worn on the person, or temporarily affixed by tape or string, but may not be tacked, nailed, or affixed to any structure, including trees, buildings, lamp posts, sculptures, and other campus property in a way that may cause damage”
Morosin pointed to the “Safety Procedures” in the proposed policy as concerning.
Inside this section, the policy states that in order to conduct a protest on campus, the organizers must contact the Office of University Scheduling and Events. From there, Campus Safety will be notified and will be present at the scene for the entire duration of the protest.
According to the proposed policy, University administration and Campus Safety will also be able to use their discretion for when to call the police. The policy also makes note that the University is not responsible for the reactions of the police if they do arrive during a demonstration.
“Yes, because the goal is not to have police intervention,” Regalado said.
Regalado said that police arrest is not a goal for the University with this new policy, but it is still a possibility and a threat.
Regalado emphasized the importance of having a policy in the first place.
He said that what happens under the policy is not of concern to students unless they are directly in opposition to rules set by the policy.
ULV is not the first college to draft a new demonstration policy, as this is going on at universities across the nation.
In response, the American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International wrote a letter to universities in October 2024, in regards to police arriving at campus protests.
“Police should not be summoned simply to disperse protesters whose presence has become undesirable to university administrators,” the letter stated. “Police presence may both increase tensions and seriously undermine the potential for any resolution grounded in respect for human rights.”
“I’m just one professor with an opinion,” Morosin said. “But my opinion is that we should follow the American Civil Liberties Union for guidance on such matters and faculty should reject the policy and it should not be implemented. There’s really no need for it.”
On top of the policy allowing police presence during a protest, the timing in which the policy has been drafted has some questioning the administration’s intentions.
“I think this is happening at the moment there’s a lot of powerful forces that are working right now, outside of ULV and nationally, to repress all kinds of protest activity in defense of Constitutional rights,” Morosin said.
With the potential of the Demonstration Policy’s implementation, there has been a fair amount of discussion among students on the topic as well.
Senior communications major and Associated Students of the University of La Verne member Jayleen De La Cruz said the organization has been discussing the proposed policy at their meetings. There is a sense of worry about how it could affect students, she said.
“Speaking for myself, though, I believe ASULV has always valued student voices, and any move to limit free speech or forms of protest could raise serious concerns,” De La Cruz said. “Student advocacy is a vital part of campus life, and placing restrictions on it could be viewed as silencing important conversations.”
There are also questions raised about the effects this can have on protest and the ability of students to speak up regarding important causes and issues in the world today. The ability to protest and speak freely is a large part of what makes the University such an accepting and open-minded environment.
“I think it introduces deeper implications around safety, power, and trust,” De La Cruz said. “Even if the intent is to maintain order, this approach could make students, especially those from marginalized communities, feel unsafe or unheard.”
The Demonstration Policy comes at a time when foreign students across the nation have had their Visas revoked because they have been protesting for those in Gaza while they are continuously being attacked by Israel.
“I think the U.S., in … particular for those who are international students, you’re in a different lived experience,” said Daniel Loera, director of multicultural affairs. “They are articulating their thinking … and what they believe. But with student protests, there’s consciousness around what is right and what is wrong, so people stand up for what they believe to be right.”
Regaldo said that while recent events on other campuses may mirror what happens at the University of La Verne, they are not necessarily related.
“To say something is happening at Columbia, and across the nation in the East Coast, (they) are very different bodies and very different than what’s happening at the University of La Verne. There is an institutional, geographical and a cultural difference that has to be taken into account,” Regaldo said.
Faculty are currently voting on the resolution to reject the Demonstration Policy will be voted on soon, Morosin said.
Interim University President Risa Dickson and Interim Provost Laura Hartley both declined to comment for this story.
Olivia Russo can be reached at olivia.russo@laverne.edu.
Jordan Alcasas can be reached at jordan.alcasas@laverne.edu.
Olivia Russo is a senior journalism major with a concentration in print/online journalism and a minor in criminology. She is the Editor-in-Chief for the Campus Times for Spring 2026. She has previously served as the News Editor, LV Life Editor, a photographer and a staff writer for the Campus Times, as well as a staff writer and photographer for La Verne Magazine.
Jordan Alcasas is a sophomore journalism major with a concentration in print and online journalism. He is the news editor for the Campus Times, and previously served as social media editor and a staff writer.
