The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) has issued new temporary rules on protests, including a ban on camping after having to arrest more than 30 people on its campus.
The new rules prohibit camps and night demonstrations “at any location at the University, regardless of space (indoor or outdoor). Unauthorized nighttime activities will be considered trespassing and will be addressed.”
The temporary rules, which will be reviewed by a faculty-led committee during the next school year, were established after pro-Palestinian camps emerged in dozens of schools across the country at the end of the 2023-2024 school year.
UPenn has arrested 33 people involved in such protests.
The new rules also prohibit projections onto buildings and semi-permanent or permanent substances used on university surfaces, another common tactic seen during demonstrations over the past two months.
The policies also address speakers coming to campus and say protests cannot stop that person from giving a presentation.
“The University aims to promote open and rigorous debate, protect academic freedom and freedom of expression and promote constructive discussion, even on the most challenging, sensitive and controversial issues. Indeed, central to our mission is to provide a platform upon which diverse viewpoints are expressed and encouraged,” the school stated in its guiding principles for mandates.
Nationwide protests led to thousands of arrests and mass disruptions at the end of the school year, as some institutions moved the final weeks of classes online due to security concerns.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
