RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Colleges and universities across Virginia are making changes to their campus demonstration policies after dozens of students were arrested after violent clashes with police at pro-Palestinian protests earlier this year.
Many Virginia schools, including Virginia Commonwealth University , Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia, have adopted policies banning tents on campus, with some schools prohibiting when and where a protest can take place.
“What they are trying to do is balance students’ free speech rights against the necessity of providing the education experience that students are essentially contracting with them to provide,” Randolph-Macon Constitutional Law Professor Lauren Bell told 8News.
ALL COVERAGE: Pro-Palestinian protests on VCU campus
Bell, who is also a former Supreme Court Fellow, said that, although public schools are required to protect students’ First Amendment rights, these new rules restricting the time place and manner of demonstrations are perfectly legal.