After slogans criticizing the Sacramento State administration appeared in chalk on the facade of a 64-year-old campus building earlier this week, at least one student is now facing potential disciplinary action. For allegedly breaking the school’s protest rules, the student could — if found responsible — face sanctions including denial of access to campus, suspension and even expulsion.
Those protest rules are called “time, place and manner” policies. In 2024, they were reinforced and consolidated by the University of California and California State University to regulate when, where and how students can protest on campus. The state mandated that these policies be strengthened after large rallies and encampments protesting the ongoing war in Gaza swept through college campuses in 2024.
All UC and CSU campuses already had some version of these restrictions in place before 2024. But since then, the policies have been adopted uniformly, publicized clearly and elevated to play a more central role in campus life. According to some students, the focus on protest restrictions has inhibited free speech at universities and the stronger enforcement of rules has disproportionately targeted particular communities. Now, after sparking a hotly debated bill that was eventually vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, TPM rules continue to be a central issue for Californian higher education systems to address.
What happened at Sac State?
Last week, the Sacramento State art department was informed that funds allocated years ago for repairs in an aging building had been revoked. In protest, members of the community wrote slogans like “broken promises” and “you stole our money” in chalk on the building’s facade this week. Later, campus administration clarified that their initial communication had been sent erroneously and the funds were being held temporarily for review…