Sacramento State sent an email to all students assigning mandatory freedom of expression training, which all students in the California State University system are required to complete. The training covers the university’s Time, Place and Manner policy, as well as the expectations for free speech on campus.

The training was created in response to California Senate Bill No. 1287, approved Sept. 28, 2024. The creation of the training and approval of interim policy is ongoing because of all the different entities at universities.

According to the bill, CSU Trustees have the “primary responsibility to prevent and address conduct that either creates a hostile environment for students on campus or results in differential treatment of students on campus.”

Tom Carroll, the assistant dean of students, and Nicki Croly, the assistant vice president for campus life and senior director for student organizations and leadership, hosted a presentation on the interim TPM policy in the University Union on Wednesday, Feb. 25. The presentation covered the new required training, the CSU interim TPM policy and student rights on campus.

The time, place and manner policy outlines how students can exercise their right to freedom of speech on campus, as well as where the university can limit that speech. Some public campus areas allow nearly complete free expression, including protests, while other, typically more private areas, limit expression due to business operations or safety concerns.

According to the CSU Interim Systemwide Time, Place and Manner Policy, TPM is a lawful control on the First Amendment right of freedom of expression to protect lawful free expression activities and the safety of the university community. TPM policies are used by public institutions and governments, and are not allowed to regulate content of speech.

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Croly said that the TPM policy recently added in mental health resources that can help students who were impacted by any kind of campus activity, including a protest or demonstration.

“It also ensures that we don’t make a determination about what impacts someone in what kind of way,” Croly said. “It’s sharing those resources so they’re available at all points in time in case it does any of those things.”

The current policy is interim because the CSU proposed it to be a full policy for the university, Carroll said.

“Our university is made up of all different types of folks, some of which are in unions, like the California Faculty Association, Unit 4, Unit 3 [and] CSUEU,” Carroll said. “They have a process when you are changing a university policy that could impact them… where they discuss and try to determine if this policy is going to work.”

Carroll recognized that student opinion about the new requirement has been mixed. Caroll voiced his support for it and encouraged students to reach out if they have any questions or concerns.Camila Guzman, a sophomore political science major, said she attended the TPM presentation because she wanted to familiarize herself with the policy but was suspicious of it.

“I see where they’re coming from with that you have to respect the institution and what the point of the institution is,” Guzman said. “There are some things that I maybe don’t agree with as much, but that’s the policy and [clubs] have to be in alignment with that.”

The training is due March 25, 2026. Carroll said that the university will continue to remind students who have not completed the training to do so before the deadline. Students who do not complete the training may face consequences, namely placing a potential hold on class registration.

“Eventually, they could get a hold on their ability to register,” Carroll said. “That is not something we want to do at all. That’s why they’re going to get three more emails about this training each week for the month that we’re pushing this out.”

With this new interim, or temporary, policy, several students have noticed in their school email required training necessitated by Senate Bill 1287. Students have voiced concerns both on campus and online.

DiMarq Smith, a junior civil engineering major, said he was familiar with similar training CSU has required in the past. While Smith said he understood the need for some policies, he was alarmed by the TPM policy being restrictive in certain aspects.

“I think [expression] is a big part of the college experience. You walk around, you see posters. Stuff gets you interested.” Smith said. “So the need [for] permission is gonna restrict that,probably restrict resources that people will find.”

The Sac State TPM policy addendum dictates which materials require written permission to be displayed. Among these are posters, signage, banners and chalking.

Will Abello, a senior business analytics major, said he was against the TPM rules as a whole and noticed the mandated training in his student email.

“I fully disagree with [TPM] and I think it sends a really poor message about what it means to be frankly American. To have the rights and privileges we do in this country and being able to speak up as one of those,” Abello said. “I think it fully infringes on that [right].”

Specifically, Abello said he thinks that some policies in Sac States’ TPM addendum were unconstitutional. Abello said the point of protesting about issues in the world is to disrupt and the policy serves as a roadblock in doing so.

“If we’re talking [protests] and we’re saying ‘Okay, you can’t disrupt in any manner other than what is convenient and doesn’t get in the way,’ it kind of removes the point of being a protest in the first place,” Abello said.

Carroll recognized that student opinion about the new requirement has been mixed. He voiced his support for it and encouraged students to reach out if they have any questions or concerns.

“I’m open if someone wants to contact me,” Carroll said. “I would love to make myself available for those conversations.”