Guide to Expressive Activities at Western

Western Washington University is committed to academic freedom and freedom of speech, petition, and assembly. These rights are protected by law and are fundamental to the democratic process, learning, scholarly inquiry, and creative activity.

This guide serves as a resource for people engaging in expressive activities at Western and for those who have questions about such activities. It is based on relevant state and federal law and Western’s policies that govern expressive activities. These policies include Washington Administrative Code chapters 516-24, 516-35, and 516-36, which ensure the protection of rights for both the Western community and members of the public on campus.  

State administrative regulations about freedom of expression and assembly at Western are at WAC 516-35. Western puts reasonable limits on expressive activities to ensure that such activities do not interfere with university operations or other people’s legal rights. These are called “time, place and manner” restrictions. Time, place, and manner restrictions on speech are consistently applied regardless of the content or viewpoints expressed in the speech.