A. Provision of Speech Rule to Employees and Students

On May 18, 2020, an email was sent to selected employees of Prairie View A&M University
(PVAMU), notifying them of the new rule on “Expressive Activity on Campus” and requesting them to share the documents with their respective areas. During that month, this rule was published in PVAMU’s policy library (located online at https://www.pvamu.edu/policies/), and made available to all employees and students. The Office of University Compliance included the new rule in its August 2020 Compliance Matters newsletter which was distributed to the campus community via campus announcements on August 24, 2020. The rule will be added to the Code of Student Conduct handbook in section M. Expressive Activity. The section will state “Any action that unduly interferes with a student, student organization, or any individual’s right to engage in expressive activities as outlined in PVAMU Rule 08.99.99.P1 is prohibited.”

B. Materials, Programs, and Procedures

The following measures are being taken to ensure compliance with the new university rule:

• The Office of Human Resources is developing a training course on “Protected Expression on Campus” in alignment with the new rule.
• The Office of Human Resources is incorporating the new rule in its New Employee Orientation held weekly for all new employees including student workers.
• The Office of Human Resources is including the new rule in its “Annual Notification” communication sent to all employees at the start of each fall semester.
• The Division of Student Affairs has incorporated the requirements of the new rule in its new student orientation process via insertion of the information in the PV Essentials On-line Module and placement in an “Important PVAMU Documents” section on the New Student Orientation website.
• Expressive Activity on Campus Complaint Form is located on the Student Complaints and Appeals website and is available for those who want to make their concerns or potential violations known concerning expressive activity on campus.
• The Office of Student Engagement is incorporating the requirements of the new rule in their mandatory, annual Student Organization trainings. Additionally, information has been placed on the Office of Student Engagement website.
• The Division of Student Affairs shared the new policy via email with the entire division. Additionally, a guided discussion on the topic of “freedom of speech” was held during a division-wide staff meeting on June 24, 2020.