Cal State Fullerton’s Dean of Students Office sent an email regarding a new freedom of expression training module that students will be required to complete before Thursday, Nov. 21.
The freedom of expression module was cultivated by the CSU Chancellor’s Office in accordance with Senate Bill 1287, also known as the Equity in Higher Education Act or the Donahoe Higher Education Act.
SB 1287, passed in September 2024, requires trustees of the Cal State System to “adopt rules and procedures, as specified, to prohibit violent, harassing, intimidating, or discriminatory conduct that creates a hostile environment on campus, to prohibit conduct that limits or denies a persons ability to participate in or benefit from the free exchange of ideas or the educational mission of the California State University.”
Additionally, the bill requires trustees to develop mandatory training to educate students on various topics, including what constitutes discrimination, harassment and violent conduct.
The freedom of expression module will focus on Time, Place and Manner protocol, such as where and when protests and gatherings can be held and “how to engage in meaningful dialogue,” as stated in the email from the Dean of Students Office.
Some, such as Miranda Dalfonsi, a fourth-year cinema and television arts major, feel as though the training could help clarify CSUF policies surrounding protesting on campus.
“I do think that being informed is important, and for students looking to protest, they might get in trouble if they were intending to protest in a way the school isn’t okay with,” Dalfonsi said.
This module comes as the deadline for Civil Rights Training, another mandatory student module, recently passed. While Civil Rights Training, formerly known as Title IX Training, is a semesterly requirement for returning CSU students, students are only required to complete the Freedom of Expression Module once during their CSUF also provided a link to a university website with more information on policies related to freedom of expression in the campus-wide email, another SB 1287 requirement.
The website, freespeech.fullerton.edu, provides students with a closer look at CSUF’s Time, Place and Manner policies and other resources for students, both on and off campus.
The website also has a section for “respectful conversations,” a series of video interviews with various members of the campus discussing different aspects of free speech.
The home page of the website also showcases videos outlining what different groups — students, faculty and staff — should know about free speech, as well as messages from Associated Students and the CSUF Police Department on free speech and a video titled “The Differences Between Free Speech and Hate Speech.”
The module, which can be found on Canvas, is made up of one module that the Dean of Students Office has reported takes approximately 45 minutes to complete.
The deadline for the completion of the mandatory module will be on Friday, Nov. 21 at 11:59 p.m.
Students who do not complete the freedom of expression training by the deadline will be granted an extension to allow them to complete it.