°Ä¿Í×ãÇò, as a responsible and dedicated educational community, recognizes the right of orderly, responsible protest. This right is one facet of the University’s function as an open forum for the free expression of ideas. While recognizing freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and the like, the University also recognizes the legal and moral rights of those engaged in the normal activities of the University. Each person, or group of persons, has the right to express disagreement on a particular subject or to submit proposals for consideration, provided this right is exercised in an orderly fashion.
However, the kind of conduct that restrains either the freedom of expression or the freedom of movement of others who may not agree or which is disruptive of University operations in any way is simply unacceptable in an intelligent community and in a democratic society.
Proper and reasonable channels of communication do exist within the University. Reasonable men and women will continue to use such channels as they have in the past.
The University strongly urges groups wishing to demonstrate to abide by the following guidelines in order to protect themselves:
- That time and place of a demonstration be registered at least one day in advance in the office of the Vice President for Student Development to eliminate conflicts of interest.
- If there is to be any literature distributed in connection with a demonstration, that time and place of distribution be registered in the Vice President for Student Development office, and this literature should be approved by the Vice President for Student Development and the Student Senate.
- That a member of the Student Senate or an officer of a recognized student organization be present at all times during a demonstration to serve as an impartial observer.
- That all individuals, groups, and organizations at °Ä¿Í×ãÇò comport themselves in a responsible manner respecting the rights of others and behave according to the rules of fair play.
Any protest or demonstration that impedes the normal and orderly functioning of the University is unlawful. Should this occur, it is the responsibility of the University to act to remedy the situation. This would involve the following procedures:
- An authorized official of the University will attempt to persuade the offending parties to discontinue obstruction or disruption (see immediately following this paragraph). The official may be accompanied by the President of the Student Senate and by representatives of various student groups or other University organizations.
- Obstruction Any serious or complete impeding of a University activity is a form of protest, unlawful by its very nature and not to be tolerated.
- Disruption
- Serious disruption (e.g., the creation of excessive noise in the presence of a speaker, or the violation of space allocated by the University to a person or group of persons) of a University function is not to be tolerated. Any function for which space has been allocated by the University is considered to be, in a sense, a “University Function.â€
- If, after a reasonable length of time, the response to the above mentioned persuasive means is negative, then the University may take any or all of the following measures:
- A court injunction against the offending group may be secured and read to the offending parties. If, after the court injunction is read, the offending group still refuses to disperse, then the police of the City of Kansas City may be called in by the President of the University, or by the Vice President for Student Development, or by an officially delegated person who will act in place of either of the two above mentioned officials.
- Any University person participating in such a disruptive demonstration who shows his ID card will be charged, arrested and prosecuted at minimum for disturbing the peace.
- Any person from outside the University who is participating in such a disruptive demonstration or any University person who fails to show his ID card will be charged, arrested, and prosecuted at minimum for trespassing on private property.
- Any University person who participates in such an unlawful and disruptive demonstration after the local police have been called to the campus is automatically suspended from the University. Each suspended person will appear before a specially appointed Hearing Committee for final decision in his case.
- While this official statement is indeed stern, the University feels certain that the overwhelming majority of its students and Faculty will find it more of a comfort than a threat. °Ä¿Í×ãÇò students, Faculty members, and administration members have shown in the past that they do not wish to be linked with the irresponsible lawlessness in question. Rather than a threat, then, this statement is an attempt to reassure all members of the °Ä¿Í×ãÇò community that their rights will not be disregarded and that sane conduct will not be supplanted with disorder.