At Dartmouth, we know that our campus thrives when every member of our community feels free and empowered to share their perspectives, challenge ideas and take part in meaningful dialogue. Freedom of expression and dissent is, therefore, a powerful tradition at Dartmouth, shaping our community's legacy of producing the next generation of leaders. This engagement in expression is critical to building excellence and central to Dartmouth’s mission.
Dartmouth has a number of campus partners to help students navigate the policies protecting free expression and dissent while ensuring the safety and rights of the community. This page provides information for organizing and conducting expressive events and demonstrations on Dartmouth’s campus.
Dartmouth’s Freedom of Expression and Dissent Policy
Dartmouth prizes, defends, and upholds freedom of expression and dissent as fundamental to its academic mission, which relies vitally on open discourse and the free exchange of ideas. The right to this freedom is not unfettered. Its exercise must reciprocally allow for others at Dartmouth to exercise the same freedom, must not deliberately obstruct the principal functions and activities of the institution, and must not constitute unlawful activity or prohibited conduct such as harassment, discrimination, retaliation, coercion, or threat. Within those general bounds, freedom of expression and dissent is broadly protected and any limitation imposed by Dartmouth on expressive activity must be content and viewpoint neutral and narrowly tailored to serve a substantial institutional interest. Dartmouth expects its campus to be a space for lively discussion and that limitations of expressive activities will be the exception not the norm. Students are encouraged to exercise the right of freedom of expression and dissent and are responsible for respecting its boundaries.
Freedom of Expression Resources
Policies Related to Expressive Activities1
- Use of Campus Grounds
- Unmanned Aircraft (Drones) Operation Policy
- Filming and Photography on the Dartmouth Campus
- Right to Privacy
- Federal Limitations on Political Campaign-Related Activities
- Buildings and Facilities
- Excessive Noise Policy
- Sponsorship of Events by Departments and Recognized Organizations
- Use of Dartmouth Facilities
- Outside Speaker Event Expectations2
Guidelines for Conduct
- Principles of Community
- Nondiscrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy and Resolution Procedures
- Notice of Nondiscrimination
- Equal Opportunity
- Undergraduate Student Affairs: Standards of Conduct
- Group Accountability Statement
- Geisel School: Medical Student Handbook
- Guarini School: Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies Student Handbook
- Thayer School: Student Handbook
- Tuck School: Student Handbook
Additional Resources
Breakfast Club
All Dartmouth community members have a key role in shaping Dartmouth’s approach to protecting and encouraging free expression. We invite you to join SVP Jennifer Rosales every Thursday from 9-10 am in the Tucker Center’s living room to share your ideas, concerns, and questions. Your input is valuable as we strive to implement best practices together as a community.
LiveSafe
The LiveSafe app is the easiest way to communicate with DoSS in the moment, allowing members of the Dartmouth community to easily and immediately seek assistance.” LiveSafe will be used by Dartmouth and DoSS to share important information, and live updates during events and activities.
Doxxing Resources
These guidelines contain potential actions targets of doxxing may take to navigate these complex and upsetting situations by leveraging law enforcement, public, and, to the extent possible, campus resources
- Nothing in these policies, rules, and regulations should be interpreted, applied, or enforced to interfere with, restrain, or coerce Dartmouth employees in the exercise of their rights to engage in protected, concerted activity under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act. ↩︎
- Council on Student Organizations (COSO) Policy. Applies to COSO recognized organizations only. ↩︎