Smith students walked out of their respective classes and buildings in protest of the changes made to the “Policy Governing Time, Place and Manner of Expressive Activity” by President Sarah Willie-LeBreton and other colleagues in leadership at the college on Oct. 24. The walkout occurred after a draft of the new policy was leaked on Oct. 23.
The changes to the original policy on freedom of expression were developed this summer, when Willie-LeBreton and several colleagues worked together to revise the policy on the advice of the Department of Education after an increase in student protests nationwide during the months following Oct. 7, 2023.
The changes that sparked backlash from students include the new restrictions placed on the functionality of protesting. This included a new time frame in which students are allowed to make noise while protesting (7 a.m to 10 p.m.), limitations on where students are allowed to protest and the expectation that protest will cease if asked to by the college.
The drafted policy was meant to be kept confidential by the administration, but on Oct. 23, the draft was released on the Smith Confessional page. The responses online and orally from students, faculty and alumni alike were immediate and critical, with several voicing their shock and anger. An Oct. 24 email to students from Willie-LeBreton stated “It was deeply disappointing, however, to see the integrity of this consultative process violated when the draft policy was placed on the Smith Confessional.”
“Out of what appears to me to be a preventive action to avoid student protests, [this] seems to be very contradictory to Smith’s mission as an institution which is to create an environment where peaceful protests are able to happen and change is able to be achieved,” said Ella Habiger ’28.
The points of contention according to students include point A in the “Time” section which states that “Amplified sound or other disruptive noise occurring outdoors may occur only between 7:00 AM and 10:00 PM;” Section E of the “Place” section which states, “Expressive activity must not: block entrances, exits, walkways, doors, hallways, elevators, or stairs of college buildings, including accessibility features;” and section I of the “Manner” section which states, “if noise is disruptive, participants may be asked to lower the volume or stop their activity entirely.”
Bronwyn Stocks ’27 expressed her disappointment with the college for allowing the policy to even be revised in such a “problematic” way in the first place.
“The biggest thing that I’m upset about is how at risk this is putting the students at. The policy doesn’t state who can enforce these new rules, so anyone could come up to us and say ‘show us your ID’ and we have no idea who it is,” she said. “It’s going to disproportionately affect students of color on campus as well, and I think the school doesn’t really care.”
However, some students also believe that the policy isn’t necessarily meant to harm students, but the way it is written creates new issues for freedom of speech on campus.
However, after the leaked draft of the policy, Willie-LeBreton quickly released the Oct. 24 statement which said, “Even with this guidance, it was clear to me that our policy was in need of review. Smith’s existing campus protest policy is not easily accessible, lacks clarity on when and where expressive activity can occur, is not transparent about how the policy will be implemented, and does not lift up our community values of safety, mutual respect and free expression.”
The President then opened up a feedback form for 24 hours after the initial email for students to write their feedback on the original draft.
Willie-LeBreton emailed students, faculty, and staff on Oct. 29 to clarify the changes made after student feedback. These changes included more clarity to the times, locations, and manners of expression, more explanation on how the policy will be put into action and states that all members of the college and visitors must adhere to the policy.
When asked by The Sophian to comment on the revised policy and the Oct. 24 walkout, Willie-LeBreton said, “I see students walking out of class as an indication that they feel comfortable expressing their views in a peaceful manner at Smith. In response to student feedback asking for more clarity around walking out of class as part of expressive activity, we are including an FAQ on this topic with the new policy.”
