About Time, Place and Manner
In public forums such as gathering on the Oval, the university may not regulate the content of speech but can place and enforce reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions.
Colleges and universities have the right and responsibility to establish restrictions for person or persons wishing to gather on university property. These restrictions must be reasonable and also protect the rights to freedom of assembly and expression as established under the US and MT State Constitutions.
Based on time, place, and manner of the event, people may need to accommodate the nature or space in which they assemble, including exterior space, that has been reserved for an event or programmatic purposes. If, for instance, an assembly is overly loud, blocks passage across campus, or threatens the physical safety of others, then the institution may need to change the location or more directly address the disruptive aspects of the assembly.
Under the UM Property Use and Access Procedure, gatherings may not:
- Obstruct or disrupt teaching, research, administration, disciplinary procedures or other University activities or operations, or any other authorized activities on University premises;
- Interfere with the rights of others to enter, use or leave any University facility, service or activity;
- Expose persons or property to safety hazards or risk of injury; or
- Or be illegal or unlawful.
Examples of permissible university time, place, and manner restrictions include:
- Time: Amplified sound is limited to 12 p.m.-1 p.m. and 5 p.m.-10 p.m. around classrooms and resident halls.
- Place: Posting of information on university buildings is limited to designated bulletin boards.
- Manner:
- Distribution of literature may not obstruct the ingress and egress from university buildings, may not be places on cars.
- The possession or use of firearms, explosives, weapons, including knives, swords, nun chucks and other martial arts weapons, bb guns, and dangerous chemicals is prohibited except as expressly authorized by law and University policies.
A more complete list of university time, place, and manner restrictions can be found in the UM Property Use and Access Procedure, under Restrictions on Use section.