A Reminder about Events and Protests at DU

Dear campus community, 

As we progress through another academic year in a period of robust national debate, we want to take a moment to remind the community of our strong, ongoing commitment to free expression and the guidelines that are in place to protect our shared values of pluralism, open dialogue, and collective safety. At DU, we believe deeply in the power of free expression and thought pluralism—not just as abstract ideals, but as essential tools and building blocks for learning, growth, and inclusive community.  

Our commitment to these values means we welcome a wide range of perspectives and encourage respectful, open dialogue. This means we have a collective responsibility to keep our campus a safe place where everyone feels that they can share their voice. Noting the guidelines below, we encourage members of the community to engage in this dialogue with speakers, guests, and each other. 

Speakers and public events must undergo an approval process for safety considerations before they are announced. These include public lectures, conferences, expositions, and other events hosted by any DU individual, unit, or group on campus, including student organizations. More info specific to registered student organization events can be found here, and the Speaker and Public Events policy is available for details for all groups. 

Safety, protests, and counter programming must also be registered before they are announced. Additional details, including the current process for approval of a demonstration or protest, are available in the Interim Policy on Demonstrations, Protest, and Free Expression. 

Please note that the registration and approval processes as described in the policy library are mandatory and must be adhered to or events will not be approved. As a reminder, any sort of vandalism, violence, threats of violence, or behavior deemed to create community safety or hostile environment risks are not permitted. 

Exercising free expression on our campus is a core value of DU, and we want students, faculty, and staff to feel safe and open to discuss their views. Thank you, and we wish you all the best in the coming academic year. 

Regards, 

Stu Halsall 
Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs 

Jeff Banks 
Vice Chancellor, Human Resources 

Christopher Whitt 
Vice Chancellor, Community Support and Engagement