1. Student Affairs 2018 Virtual Case Study Competition
Eastern Illinois University
Team Leader: Ihab Saud
Team Members: Darek Hollis, Amber Webb

2. Issues Identified
The following are matters of concern that were identified in creating the new guest policy at Hogwarts University.
Student safety
Not inhibiting free speech
Process flow, (how easy/difficult is it to host a guest speaker)
Cost involved
Student development through exposure to differing views
Development of the practice of civil discourse
Managing emotions, emotional response to controversial discussions
Special management/regulation of controversial speakers

3. Hogwarts University Current Guest Speaker Policy
Event organizer submits proposal to Office of Student Programs no later than 48 hrs. prior to the event.
Proposal must include:
Organizer’s name and contact info.
Date(s) and location of the event
Event title and intended audience
Speaker’s Name, contact information, and credentials
- Speech Title and Subject
We created the current policy based on the assumption that VP Longbottom’s statement “I don’t think students or, for that matter, faculty and staff appreciate everything that must be done beforehand to ensure a smooth-running event and people’s safety” is a comment on those persons’ lack of understanding and not frustration with a currently verbose policy.

4. Hogwarts University Proposed Guest Speaker Policy
Hogwarts University seeks to encourage the further education and development of its students through the opportunity of hearing invited guest speakers. Hogwarts University supports the first amendment of the United States upholding the right to the freedom of speech and peaceable assembly*. In order to ensure the safety of its students and the community and maintain civility on campus, sponsors hosting a guest speaker and hosted speakers must adhere to the regulations outlined in this policy and will be held accountable to any violations of local and/or federal laws. Guest speakers’ presence on campus do not indicate the support or endorsement of their views by the institution, the governing board, administration, faculty, staff, and/or students.
*In the actual policy the first amendment would be included, but due to lack of space here we did not added it.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. (Constitution of United States of America 1789, rev. 1992)

5. Hogwarts University Proposed Guest Speaker Policy
Event organizers must submit proposal to Office of Student Programs for approval at least 3 weeks prior to extending an invitation to the guest speaker. Proposal must include:
Campus Sponsors’ name(s) and contact info.
Event title, intended audience, estimated attendance size
Requested date(s), time and location of the event
Speaker’s Name, contact information, and credentials
Expected fees and funding source
Speech Title and Subject
Special accommodation
Acknowledged review of the guest speaker policy

6. Hogwarts University Proposed Guest Speaker Policy
After submitting the proposal and prior to approval of the speaker, the sponsor(s) must setup a meeting with the Dean of Students to discuss the speaker purpose, campus safety, and appropriate accommodations.
While Hogwarts University upholds the right for individuals freedom of speech, a proposed speaker will not be approved if, as deemed by the Vice President of Student Affairs, or Dean of Students, hosting the speaker would:
1. Threaten or endanger any members of the University or physical property
2. Obstruct the purpose and operation of the institution
Information in this slide was based off of Fordham University Student Handbook’s Speakers Policy.

7. Hogwarts University Proposed Guest Speaker Policy
Upon approval, sponsor(s) need to receive written confirmation that the speaker read, understands and will adhere to all campus policies, and local and federal laws and agreement that in the case of clear and reasonable threat or danger the campus will close it facilities to the speaker. This confirmation must be submitted to the Office of Student Programs
The Office of Student Programs will:
Work with campus security and ensure the appropriate presence and staffing is assigned to the event
Determine an area of peaceable protest of the event and/or speaker.

8. Hogwarts University Proposed Guest Speaker Policy
Individuals wishing to protest a guest speaker must do so civilly and peaceably by:
Adhering to all campus policies and local and federal laws.
Respecting and upholding the speaker’s right to freedom of speech
Avoiding any behaviors that would interrupt the event or prevent other individuals from participating
Failure to follow the above guidelines will result in disciplinary action

9. Issues addressed Student safety Not inhibiting freedom of speech
Due to time constrains we chose to focus on the following issues we determined were most vital in this case and best address Vice President Longbottom’s concerns
Student safety
Not inhibiting freedom of speech
Process flow

10. Addressing Student Safety
The current polices and procedures do not show a great deal of concern for student safety. We addressed this in the new policy by:
Increasing the required time for a proposal to be submitted from 48 hours to at least 3 weeks in advance. This allows the Office of Student Programs time to address and prepare for any safety concerns and make the appropriate accommodations. It allows time to investigate the speakers’ background and determine if the speaker has been a part of any controversial debates previously
Requiring a meeting with the Dean of Students. This will not only help the University to better understand what necessary measures may need to be taken, but also helps to educate the students in appreciating the safety concerns of the University and things that need to be considered when planning an event.

11. Addressing Student Safety cont.
The current polices and procedures do not show a great deal of concern for student safety. We addressed this in the new policy by:
Adding written statements acknowledging the University’s right to deny speakers presence on campus for safety concerns. This is now clearly stated in the policy and is also required of the speaker to acknowledge.
Requiring communication with campus security to ensure they are aware of the speaker’s presence and are able to provide necessary support and coverage of the event.
Providing guidelines and space for individuals that wish to protest the speaker’s views. This creates a structure in which the University can provide that space for personal views while helping to manage it in an appropriate, civil and safe way.

12. Addressing Freedom of Speech
The current polices are vague and broad concerning freedom of speech. Given the policy allows for speakers to come to campus, an argument could be made that Hogwarts University is supporting the freedom speech. However, there are no specific guideline assuring that both parties’ rights are being upheld. We addressed this in the new policy by:
Specially stating that Hogwarts University support the First Amendment right to freedom of speech.
Providing guidelines and space for individuals that wish to protest the speaker’s views. This upholds the various parties’ right to freedom of speech. This shows that the institution is not biased toward a specific view point, but is open to the civil exchange of differing views. This provides a way for each party to express their view to the subject being discussed while not infringing the other party’s right to freedom of speech.

13. Addressing Freedom of Speech cont.
We addressed freedom of speech in the new policy by:
Recognizing that the right to freedom of speech is contingent upon not violating any other rights we included in the new guidelines the right for the Dean of Students or the Vice President of Student Affairs to deny a speaker’s presence on campus if that presence was deemed a viable concern to the community’s safety.

14. Addressing Process Flow
While it is important to ensure student safety to the best of our ability we felt it was important that the process does not add unnecessary barriers to inviting a speaker. The current policy had no barriers, but as already discussed did not account for safety. In the new policy we kept a reasonable process flow by:
We used the current policy structure and built upon that to maintain familiarly for community members.
Limiting the number of steps involved. In addressing safety concerns we only added new steps we felt were absolutely necessary, and efficiently addressed those concerns.
Assigning responsibility of contacting campus security and providing a space for protestors to the Office of Student Programs so that this step was not an extra burden and/or deterrent for sponsors wanting to host guest speakers.

15. Addressing Process Flow
In addressing safety concerns it was necessary to add some more steps for sponsor wishing to host guest speakers. However, we only added new steps we felt were absolutely necessary, and efficiently addressed those concerns. Below are the changes we made and our rational for them.
In adding additional proposal time we only required the minimum amount of time we felt was necessary for addressing safety concerns.
We added the need for approval prior to extending and invitation again to ensure that safety concerns were addressed. This we felt was a reasonable and not troublesome request.
We required a meeting between the Dean of Students and the sponsor. This provided an efficient way to address all concerns and prevents the need to create a long checklist to manage safety concerns. It also ensures all guidelines and policies are understood and upheld.

16. Addressing Process Flow cont.
Below are the changes we made to the policy and our rational for them.
Required that the guest speaker gives written statement that they have read and will adhere to all campus policies, local and federal laws. This deemed a simple and reasonable step to add to ensure the university is not liable for the speaker’s actions.
We required a meeting between the Dean of Students and the sponsor. This provided an efficient way to address all concerns and prevents the need to create a long checklist to manage safety concerns. It also ensures all guidelines and policies are understood and upheld.

17. Thank you for offering this opportunity, for time, and consideration!
Concluding Remarks
This proposed guest speaker policy has been designed based on the request of the Vice President of Student Affairs, Albert Longbottom’s, to better address potentially problematic speakers and the need to ensure student safety while maintaining the right to freedom of speech.
Thank you for offering this opportunity, for time, and consideration!

18. References
Fordham.edu. (2018). Speakers Policy | Speakers Policy | Fordham. [online] Available at: [Accessed 20 Feb. 2018]. U. S. Const. amend. I.