If you want to speak freely at this school, you better make the arrangements in advance.

From the FIRE blog.

Speech Code of the Month: Auburn University

FIRE announces its Speech Code of the Month for December 2015: Auburn University.

Student protests have been all over the news this fall. While some of the protesters’ demands—such as demands for restrictions on student and faculty speech—have been troubling, the right of students to engage in protest and other expressive activities is critically important, and this autumn’s events have illustrated the power of student protest. What many people may not realize is that a distressing number of universities across the country maintain onerous restrictions on when and where students may demonstrate.

One such institution is Auburn University. Auburn’s restrictive and confusing Speech and Demonstration Policy limits where students can demonstrate on campus and gives the administration too much discretion over students’ expressive activities.

According to the policy, students are expected to demonstrate “in the Open Air Forum (located on the steps of the Ralph Brown Draughton Library)” unless the university explicitly authorizes another location at least 48 hours in advance. And although the policy’s introduction references “unscheduled” expressive activity, it later provides that students must secure “permits” even in order to use the Open Air Forum. The policy provides no neutral criteria by which permit requests will be assessed, instead stating simply that “[a]uthorization will not be unreasonably withheld.”