The Rock is a place for public free expression, and any student, faculty, staff, or community member is allowed to paint it. People may not like or agree with a specific message on the Rock. When people are confronted with speech they do not agree with, the answer is more speech. If anyone sees a message they disagree with, they can paint their own message. Learn more about The Rock.
The distribution of leaflets and handbills and the circulation of petitions on campus for students are free and unhindered. A list of guidelines for posting or distributing in certain facilities due to traffic or specialized usage can be found in the Literature Distribution section of Hilltopics.
Non-affiliated people can pass out materials on the streets and sidewalks that are open to them for free expression activities subject to time, place, and manner restrictions.
The general posting of notices and signs within campus buildings and on the grounds of the University is allowable only on Bulletin Boards provided for this purpose (OP00017-K). The university removes unauthorized posters, graffiti-style writing, and messages placed in areas or on buildings where they are prohibited. More information on temporary signage can be found here.
Both commercial and noncommercial solicitations are prohibited in nonpublic areas of the university. Solicitations and sales in public areas of the university are restricted to invitees, registered organizations, and faculty, staff, and students of the university and are subject to reasonable restrictions as to time, place, and manner.
More information on the university’s solicitation policy can be found on the Hilltopics website.
Information on solicitation, information distribution, and associated university and state policies is also available on the Center for Student Engagement website under Solicitation and Event Requests.
Student organizations, faculty, or university units can invite people not affiliated with the university to participate in free speech activities.
According to the Campus Free Speech Act, “An Institution shall not disinvite a speaker invited by a student, student organization, or faculty member because the speaker’s anticipated speech may be considered offensive, unwise, immoral, indecent, disagreeable, conservative, liberal, traditional, radical, or wrong-headed by students, faculty, administrators, government officials, or members of the public.”
A non-affiliated person invited to campus by a student organization or faculty member is a guest of that organization or faculty member, and their appearance on campus is not an endorsement by the university.
Students with questions or concerns about free speech can report their concerns to the Office of the Dean of Students to be connected with the appropriate office and campus resources.
Members of the campus community who believe they have witnessed an action or incident that may discriminate against, stereotype, exclude, or harm anyone in our community can report a Campus Climate Concern. The Campus Climate Impact Committee is available to support and guide students seeking assistance in determining how to handle the incident.
In responding to campus climate concerns, UT will not violate the First Amendment rights of students, faculty, or staff. Even when an incident occurs, disciplinary or corrective action by the appropriate campus department may not be taken toward the offender if it is determined that the act was a protected exercise of their freedom of expression.
As a result, in many situations, the Campus Climate Impact Committee response to a campus climate concern will take the form of supporting the students adversely impacted by the incident. The team will facilitate services such as counseling, health services, or other referrals as needed to address safety concerns and to provide assistance and comfort to those impacted.
As outlined in the university’s indoor facility usage and outdoor facility usage policies, the university regulates its property to preserve its missions of teaching, research, and service.
Planned events and meetings are overseen by the Office of Campus Event Services, which manages the reservation process for campus space to ensure space is being utilized efficiently and to assist in allocating personnel and resources.
The university may impose reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions regarding any free expression activity. Restrictions are content-neutral and can include specific areas of campus where the demonstrations are allowed to take place, time limits on demonstrations, noise level limits, capping the number of participants allowed, or restricting the size and placement of signs. See Hilltopics for the policy on Freedom of Assembly and Demonstration.