UCF trustees are changing campus protest policies to include new restrictions

The University of Central Florida Board of Trustees on Friday updated guidelines for campus protests to address people who hide their identities or restrict the movement of others.

Trustees voted to add new language prohibiting people protesting on the UCF campus from wearing anything that conceals their identity, including masks and hoods, while violating a law, regulation or policy or trying to intimidate someone.

Another change prohibits protesters from not identifying themselves to university officials, including law enforcement. The new order notes that the UCF Student Code of Conduct already requires students to provide identification when requested by a university official or law enforcement officer.

Finally, UCF will prohibit restricting the ability of individuals to move freely within a university facility or space. This includes blocking or obstructing streets, sidewalks, walkways, driveways, buildings, parking garages, doors and windows.

The changes follow several protests at the university as part of a nationwide wave of demonstrations on university campuses since the Israel-Hamas war began last October.

“As a public university, it is of course important, and we support free expression and the right to assemble, while balancing our core mission of educating students and ensuring their safety and the safety of faculty and staff,” Vice Chairman said Michael Okaty. “I think these regulations, as amended, carefully strike that important balance.”

Koulson Fry, a student who said he signed up to speak during the public comment but logged into the virtual meeting and saw it ended early, told the Orlando Sentinel that he chose UCF , because it promotes a diverse community and feels like they are safe to be themselves and speak their minds.

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Now, Fry said they are incredibly disappointed in the university, both for the changes and their belief that the meeting was held earlier to prevent more people from speaking during the public comment period.

“Requiring students to reveal their identities during protests creates an atmosphere of fear and intimidation,” they said. “Many students fear that forcing them to identify themselves could lead to retaliation, bias or unfair treatment.

“This may discourage individuals from participating in protests or expressing dissenting opinions, further stifling free expression on campus.”

Courtney Gilmartin, UCF's associate vice president for strategic initiatives and communications, said the university's website said the meeting would begin at 4 p.m., but instead it began around 2:15 p.m.

Gilmartin said the meeting started early as a series of committee meetings that began at 8:30 a.m. were completed. She said an email was sent to those who registered for public comment notifying them that the event would begin earlier than planned.

Fry said that with the election approaching, it is critical that students have the freedom to express their opinions. They said there were concerns that the changes were intended to silence certain groups – particularly pro-Palestinian voices.

“There is growing concern that these proposed regulations are being implemented in response to or as a means to suppress these critical voices, with these changes creating barriers that could be interpreted as attempts to silence politically sensitive issues and target certain groups prevent expressing dissenting opinions,” they said.

Originally published: September 28, 2024 at 5:00 am