Summary

In 2010, University of Massachusetts Amherst enforced restrictive speech policies that limited a group’s ability to protest to between noon and 1:00 pm at a set location on campus, required 7 days advance permission for “controversial” rallies – shorter for those not deemed “controversial.” It also required students organizing a rally to provide a six-person student security team. Partnering with Student for Life, ADF helped an allied attorney send a letter to the University, encouraging it to correct its unconstitutional policies. The University responded by eliminating the controversial-noncontroversial distinction, reducing the advance notice required to 24 hours, and eliminating the student security team requirement. Together, these changes were a marked improvement for a University whose policies had been among the worst in the country.

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