Expressive Activity Registration

Procedures for Registering and Safely Hosting On-Campus Events Involving Expressive Activity

As stated in Carnegie Mellon University’s Freedom of Expression Policy, the university values the freedoms of speech, thought, expression and assembly – in and of themselves and as part of our core educational and intellectual mission. And, as further stated in the policy, the only limits on these rights are those dictated by law and those necessary to protect the rights of other members of the university community and to ensure the normal functioning of the university. The Policy further speaks to the protection of the safety and security of the campus community. As guidance on how to achieve all of these goals, the Policy articulates a set of general requirements that those who wish to hold demonstrations, protests, rallies or other events involving expressive activity on campus are required to meet. The details related to the required registration process referenced in the Policy are outlined here.

Any campus event involving expressive activity that does not adhere to these procedures will be considered unregistered. Should such occur, the university will make a discretionary decision as to whether it is in the best interest of campus safety, security and operations to prevent or disband the event, or not, and whether any Carnegie Mellon faculty, staff, student or organization involved in providing leadership for organizing and executing such unregistered event should be subject to conduct review. It is our aspiration that all community members will embrace the university’s commitment to campus safety, security and operations as expressed through these procedures, and therefore uphold them.

The university reminds the community that a confirmed event registration does not imply that the university endorses any views or positions expressed either at or in conjunction with the event. University decisions related to registration requests and other actions under these Procedures will be made in a content-neutral manner that is in keeping with the Freedom of Expression policy.

Definitions

For the purposes of the registration procedures:

A Community Member is a current faculty member, staff member or enrolled student at Carnegie Mellon University.

Expressive activity is any organized campus gathering or means through which university community members publicly communicate and express ideas and positions with the intent of robustly engendering awareness, debate, adoption, action and/or change. Such activity includes various forms of peaceful assembly, protests, demonstrations, rallies, speeches, signage/displays, picketing, and petitioning.

A Sponsor serves as the primary host for an event involving expressive activity on campus. A Sponsor must be a current Community Member, recognized student organization or university department (subject to the registration requirements outlined below). The Sponsor takes responsibility and accountability for hosting and managing the event, serving as the public point of contact, and ensuring it is conducted in a manner that is compliant with this registration process and all relevant university policies and procedures. Any event involving expressive activity must have at least one designated Sponsor in order to be registered with the university.

Partners are secondary people or organizations that provide logistical, financial, promotional or other support to an event involving expressive activity but are not the primary Sponsor(s). Partners may or may not be affiliated with Carnegie Mellon.

Registration of Events Involving Expressive Activity

Events involving expressive activity that occur at Carnegie Mellon University are restricted to Community Members and (if applicable) any guests who are invited and hosted by the event Sponsor(s), subject to the following registration requirements.

An event involving expressive activity that is exclusively intended for Community Members as its audience (and for which participation by external entities is neither solicited nor expected) must be registered with the university if more than 25 participants are expected to attend. Exceptions to this registration requirement include;

• Activity conducted within an academic course setting that is formally listed on the university schedule of classes; or
• Activity involving the direct exercise of rights by employees to engage in concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection under the National Labor Relations Act, including but not limited to strikes, demonstrations, handbilling or any other lawful protected concerted activity.

An event involving expressive activity that is intended for Community Members as a primary audience, but for which entities who are not Community Members have been invited as guests to be involved in organizing, financing, promoting, implementing, presenting or attending the event, must also be registered with the university if more than 25 participants are expected to attend. However, such events are subject to the additional requirement that the Sponsor must be either a Carnegie Mellon recognized student organization or university department.

The Sponsor(s) for an event involving expressive activity that meet these criteria must initiate and follow the Registration Procedures set forth below.  

Unregistered events that exceed 25 attendees at the actual event may be canceled or disbanded.

Compliance with University Policies

All events (regardless of whether registration is required or not) must comply with all applicable university policies and community standards, and must not be disruptive or unreasonably interfere with the operations of any university program or activity.

The Sponsor(s) are responsible for the behavior of those attending the event and should exercise due care to ensure that all participants abide by these policies and standards.

Events must not obstruct the entrance or exits to university facilities, rooms, hallways, elevators, or otherwise block the ability of people to transit the campus or access buildings or spaces within.

Such compliance also includes, but is not limited to, the following university policies and procedures:

• Noise;
• Riotous and Disorderly Behavior Policy;
• Policy on Deadly Weapons, Workplace Threats and Violence;
• Procedures for the Operation of Drones and Other Unmanned Aerial Vehicles;
• Statement of Assurance Policy;
• Discriminatory and Sexual Misconduct Policy;
• Advertising on Campus;
• Social Regulations;
• Tents and Encampments;
• The Word: Community Standards and Procedures.

Should an event entail behaviors by either organizers or attendees that do not comply with all applicable policies and procedures, the university reserves the right to conclude the event and/or determine whether the Sponsor or any Community Members involved in the event should be subject to conduct review. Non-compliance may include a determination of whether or not a Sponsor retains the privilege to plan and register future campus events involving expressive activity.

These procedures may be periodically refined and reissued.

Registration Procedures

1. The event Sponsor(s) will initiate the registration process by contacting the Office of Student Leadership, Involvement, and Civic Engagement (SLICE) via its departmental email address. A SLICE representative will then meet with the Sponsor(s) to provide guidance and support regarding the registration process. This contact and meeting should occur as early as possible and generally no fewer than three business days prior to the proposed date for the event.
2. Representatives of the Sponsor(s) will provide the following information to the SLICE representative:
   1. Name and purpose of the event.
   2. Names and contact information (including mobile number) for the representative(s) of the Sponsor(s). Note: These individuals must be fully engaged in the registration process throughout, and must be present on-site for the entirety of the event to serve as primary points of contact with the university.
   3. Names and contact information for any Carnegie Mellon organization(s) or department(s) who are serving as Partner(s) for the event.
   4. Names and contact information for any individuals or organizations external to the university who are directly involved in planning the event.
   5. Proposed date, start time, end time and location for the event (with the understanding that an alternate date, time and/or location may be identified or stipulated during the registration review process based on concerns related to the anticipated impact of the event on community safety or operations as proposed).
   6. General event outline and format, including event timetable.
   7. Expected number of participants (both Community Members and invited guests who are not Community Members).
   8. Publicity plan for the event. Note: Publicity must identify the Sponsor(s) and Partner(s) and provide contact information for those seeking more information about the event. Also, publicity should not be distributed prior to the event registration being confirmed by the university (see below) and doing so may influence the university’s decision as to whether to confirm the registration.
   9. Expected media engagement (if any).
   10. Ticketing and admission procedures for the event (if applicable).
   11. Logistical considerations for the event such as sound, lighting, staging or contracts (note: the funding source for the Partner(s) should be provided if applicable).
   12. Special requests for university involvement in the event program (if applicable).
3. The Sponsor(s) must reserve the campus space (whether outdoors or indoors) through the university’s 25Live space reservation system. The event cannot be registered with the university without a confirmed space reservation. The SLICE representative can assist if the Sponsor(s) encounters questions or difficulties in reserving a specific space. Any space reservation should be considered tentative pending confirmation of the completed registration by the university.
4. The SLICE representative will schedule a meeting for the Sponsor(s) representatives, University Police, and Student Affairs representatives (as appropriate) to develop a safety and security plan for the event. University Police will provide counsel on how best to stage the event in a manner that supports safety for both the participants and the campus community. Roles and staffing designed to provide support and de-escalation for any disruption that may emerge at the event will be discussed. While the university will make every best effort to fully accommodate the requests of the Sponsor(s) relative to the staging of the event, it reserves the right to reasonably adjust time, place and/or manner for the event based on safety or university operational concerns.
5. The Sponsor(s) will acknowledge that they will act in good faith to ensure that the event is designed and implemented in a manner that is consistent with all university policies and community standards (reference Compliance with University Policy above).

Once these procedures have been reasonably completed, the SLICE representative will provide the information gathered to Associate Vice President of Student Affairs for Community Engagement and Associate Vice President / Chief Risk Officer, or their designees, to review the registration application and confirm it. The SLICE representative will then provide written confirmation of the registration to the Sponsor(s).

As needed, the Sponsor(s) may be expected to participate in a post-event debrief with the SLICE representative for the purposes of reflection and supporting future planning efforts.

Updated August 23, 2024