Civic Responsibilities at the University of Minnesota

Ensuring our campuses remain safe while providing places where the robust exchange of ideas flourish is the bedrock of our educational mission. 

We encourage all students, faculty, and staff to be familiar with University policies that most commonly align with freedom of expression and public discourse.

Planning for a Safe and Welcoming Environment

The University of Minnesota remains firmly committed to academic freedom, freedom of expression and the rights of students, faculty, and staff to express their views in our community. Core to this commitment is free, open and respectful dialogue, regardless of viewpoint, as well as a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in respecting differing views on our campuses. Every member of our community has this right–and the accompanying responsibility--not to interfere with or impede upon the rights of others to speak, study, teach, work and learn.

This work is guided by three principles:

Safety We establish and maintain a safe and affirming environment for all members of the University community.

Culture We encourage and support respectful conversations and diverse viewpoints, transparent decision-making starting with education, and a fair notice approach to alleged violations of our rules and policies, including any consequences.

Compliance We support activities that adhere to University policies–including time, place, and manner guidelines–and those policies are enforced.

 

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Approach to Civic Engagement

The University of Minnesota values civic engagement and its long history of peaceful protests that comply with our policies and laws. 

These policies apply to spontaneous events (events without a permit) attended by faculty, staff, students and visitors to our community and are applied in a content-neutral way.

Guidelines for Demonstrations and Protests

You are allowed to:

  • Include up to 50 (100 in Rochester and Twin Cities)  participants.
  • Gather at places like plazas, squares, grassy areas, or other open spaces. 
  • Include one handheld battery-operated amplification device (bullhorn). Bullhorns are not allowed on the Duluth campus.
  • Include signs and banners smaller than 14 inches x 22 inches.
  • Distribute printed materials more than 25 feet from building entrances. 
  • Use water-soluble chalk on horizontal surfaces (ground) to advertise an event. Chalking must be done by recognized student groups, University departments, or offices. It must include the name of the group, department, or office that is sponsoring the event.
  • Put up posters and flyers smaller than 14 inches x 22 inches on public bulletin boards or in designated kiosks on campus to advertise an event in a manner that makes them easy to remove and doesn’t damage the boards (e.g., staples or tape but not glue or paste). 

 

You must: 

  • End your event by 10 p.m.
  • Clean up the space afterwards.
  • Show your ID if asked by University officials or the police.

 

You may not:

  • Use tents or other structures or displays, and contact tables.
  • Damage University property or University grounds, including with graffiti and stickers.
  • Interfere with classes, research, work, or other University operations.
  • Interfere with the flow of traffic or block entrances to buildings.
  • Remain in buildings after scheduled closing hours.
  • Threaten, harass, intimidate, stalk, or assault others.
    • For example, speech that directly and immediately threatens physical harm to a specific individual violates the Student Conduct Code.
  • Pose risk to the health and physical safety of yourself or others.
  • Use University facilities or services without permission. This includes using keys or passwords you’re not supposed to have.
  • Student workers and other staff may not participate in a protest during their work hours. 

Violation of these policies is a violation of the Student Conduct Code and may result in immediate interim suspension while awaiting full Student Conduct Code proceedings.  

Guidelines and resources by campus

Crookston 

Duluth 

Morris 

Rochester

Twin Cities

Additional freedom of expression information: 

Duluth

Twin Cities

Framework for Responding to Policy Violations

Framework 

The Fall Planning Framework (framework) calls for significant prevention activities including a robust communication plan, support for lawful protest in alignment with University policies, and support for all community members in challenging times—including those who may feel threatened or targeted. We are cognizant that implicit biases have the risk of affecting how policies are enforced. We are mindful that consistent policy enforcement is necessary. The framework is meant to transparently describe the planned approach, which will be applied in a content- and viewpoint-neutral manner.

The following is based on national best practices as well as learning from spring semester 2024 activities. It was created by members of the University’s Incident Response Team (IRT) and tested with small focus groups that included faculty and staff governance and student leaders. While we hope that there is no cause to utilize this framework in the coming year, we believe that a shared understanding of planned responses will support a safe and welcoming environment that also supports civic engagement and freedom of expression across the University's five campuses.

The University welcomes and supports civic engagement and free expression of ideas consistent with University of Minnesota policies, including time, place, and manner, rules for spontaneous civic engagement. It is important to note these policies are not new, nor have they been changed in advance of this fall. When civic engagement occurs, we seek to understand the nature of the event to protect protesters and to support students, staff and faculty who may feel targeted. Engagement that is inconsistent with University policies becomes civil disobedience.

Guiding principles 

Our guiding principles to respond to violations of our time, manner, and place rules are: 

  1.  As safety allows, to provide education on how to comply within the policies of civic engagement at UMN, and to have University administration, not the Department of Public Safety, be the first line of early engagement and education with protestors at UMN,
  2. and as safety allows, to obtain consultation and share information with faculty and student advisory groups. 

 

Approach 

Our goals for responding to violations of University policy are outlined in the table below. 

Tier

Goal of Interaction

Responsible

Actions

Tier A

 

Opportunity for voluntary compliance 

Educate

 

Describe University policy and procedures for civic engagement and time, manner, place rules. Provide handout on policies.

 

Indicate that current activity does not comply, and suggest how protesters could come into compliance.  

 

Confirm student / employee / community member status of protesters and advise as to applicable policies.  Notify that failure to provide student status is a violation of student conduct code.

 

Explain process, and future consequences for violating policies including administrative and legal.

 

Discuss with protestors the outcome they seek.  

 

Who: University official with experience engaging with students, with DPS support as deemed appropriate.   

 

What: Handout on policies, handout on process and consequences (administrative, legal)

 

 

Education

Tier B 

 

Fair Notice 

Fair Notice

 

Restate and provide written notice again that protestors are knowingly violating policy.

 

Describe administrative consequences and provide notice that they will be implemented if behavior continues.  

 

Educate on potential legal consequences of continued action.

 

Discuss with protestors the outcome they seek.   

 

Who: University official  with experience engaging with students, with DPS support as deemed appropriate. 

 

What: Handout on policies, handout on process and consequences, handout with detail on administrative consequences. 

Specific warning of administrative action

 

Tier C

 

Escalation/final warning before legal consequences, with University discipline where appropriate imposed. 

Administrative Consequences

 

Restate and provide written notice again that protestors are knowingly violating policy.

 

Administrative consequences imposed, description of legal consequences provided.

 

Notification that ongoing policy violation will result in legal enforcement, including removing tents/people from the area and additional action may be taken up to and including arrest and being barred from campus. 

 

Discuss with protestors the outcome they seek.   

 

Who: Uniformed DPS Officer with University official. 

 

What: Handout on policies, handout on process and consequences, handout as to administrative consequences, handout with detail on legal consequences.

 

For students, disciplinary charges and, where appropriate, imposition of interim suspension.

 

Specific warning of legal action

 

 

Tier D

 

Enforcement

Removal / Clearing of area

 

Enforce policy, remove protestors or tents 

Who: Uniformed DPS Officers

 

What: Legal documents for arrest

Legal consequences imposed

****Considerations of safety are paramount and will accelerate tiers of responses to protect the community as real time information dictates.

Guidance for Faculty and Staff

The University’s responsibility is to establish and maintain a civil, productive, inclusive, and supportive learning and working environment, free from discourteous, threatening, harassing, or other aggressive behaviors. 

The following resources have been developed to support faculty and staff: 

Employee group codes of conduct: 

  • Teamsters Local 320 CBA (6/30/25)
    • Articles covering security, discipline, grievance, discrimination
  • Contracts for other unions, including Broadcast Technicians, Printers, Law Enforcement, plus Crafts and Trades are available on the Office of Human Resources website