Freedom of Expression Policy – BP 3900
Portland Community College (“PCC”) supports the right to freedom of expression. Students, employees, and members of the public are free to exercise their rights of free expression, subject to the requirements of this policy and the accompanying administrative procedures.
In order to support PCC’s educational mission and to help ensure safety for all members of the PCC community, this policy establishes time, place, and manner regulations as permitted under the law in designated forums. The intent of PCC’s time, place, and manner regulations is to support free dialogue and debate while allowing for the orderly operation of PCC’s campuses. PCC does not permit speech or expression that includes specific threats of violence, causes significant disruption to PCC’s operations, is defamatory, is obscene according to current legal standards, or incites others so as to create a clear and present danger of the commission of unlawful acts on PCC’s property or the violation of PCC’s policies or procedures.
PCC’s policies prohibit harassment, bullying, threats, and intimidation. Speech or expression that violates these policies will not be tolerated, and students violating them may be subject to discipline.
The Board directs the President to enact administrative procedures as necessary to enact this policy and to reasonably regulate the time, place, and manner of the exercise of free expression in designated forums.
January 2020