Emory University has revised its longstanding policy on open expression, banning camping and overnight protesting on campus.
The change comes after Pro-Palestinian and Stop Cop City protesters took over the campus quad in April, leading to 20 arrests, and antisemitic graffiti on campus property. The faculty senate for the Emory College of Arts and Sciences called for a no-confidence vote for President Gregory L. Fenves following protests, and the university moved graduation ceremonies to a convention center in Gwinnett County.
Emory has taken heat for campus culture in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.
Emory is under investigation for anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim harassment after two groups filed a federal civil rights complaint on April 5. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Georgia) and Palestine Legal are demanding that the U.S. Department of Education investigate the “hostile” environment at Emory and two other universities.
Neighbors of Emory have suffered antisemitic acts in the last year. Ali’s Cookies, a bakery adjacent to the entrance of campus on North Decatur Road, and Chabad at Emory, a Jewish organization for students, have reported to police acts of intimidation, antisemitic mailers and graffiti, and aggressive behavior by protesters. In May, residents awakened to antisemitic, anti-immigration flyers on their lawns and sidewalks.
Emory’s codification of a longstanding policy includes a ban on overnight outdoor camping and sleeping, encampments, and building occupations and/or takeovers. Lastly, protests are prohibited between the hours of midnight and 7 a.m.
Emory’s Open Expression policy was implemented in 2013; its last revision was in 2018. Before protests on campus in April, the University Senate announced that it would form a committee to review and revise the policy. The university says it is still working on policy recommendations.
The 2024-25 school year update places “reasonable restrictions on time, place, and manner” for future protests.
“Such rules enable us to keep our community safe while improving the ability of every member of our community to focus on our academic mission,” according to the Emory University Communications department.
CAIR-Georgia did not respond for comment.
