Stanford University announces new 'free speech' policies

PALO ALTO, Calif. (KGO) -- This week, Stanford University is welcoming students back to campus with new and clearer rules on speech and events.

Last spring, pro-Palestinian encampments went up sporadically amid the Israel-Hamas war.

The contentious time led to student arrests, barricades and graffiti on several buildings.

On Tuesday, Stanford released what are called the 'freedom of expression' policies.

Unauthorized tents will be prohibited, and students concealing their face may be asked to identify themselves by a university official.

MORE: UC president vows to enforce protest rules, bans on encampments as students return to campuses

In a video, Provost Jenny Martinez explains other disruption policies.

"What might be OK in once place in time, might not be in another. For example, speech that is fine in White Plaza may not be allowed in a class if it causes disruption. A provocative poster might be OK in some places on campus, but not placed on the personal residence door of an individual targeted by that speech," Martinez said.

White Plaza has long served as a place for student gatherings. This is where the encampments set up.

Stanford's new president is vowing to enforce the no camping policy, which was already in place last term.

We spoke with Nico Perrino, executive vice president with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

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"This is the problem with how colleges and universities have approached the challenges of policing free expression to the extent they're allowed to, is that it's inconsistently enforced. So what you get are double standards," Perrino said.

Perrino expects colleges and universities will be more buttoned up when it comes to their policies this year.

"I think colleges and universities have learned their lessons this past year and are better prepared with their policies and their practices to avoid being caught up in the maelstrom," Perrino said.

At the end of May, Stanford's faculty senate formally adopted an institutional neutrality statement. Making Stanford the third university behind Harvard and Syracuse at the time to remain neutral on social and political issues.

"It gets administrators out of a lot of tricky problems particularly surrounding an election year, they say - hey our hands are tied we have this institutional policy we're not commenting, you students, faculty, you have the debate out," Perrino said.