The ad hoc committee established by the Washington University in St. Louis Board of Trustees to review the university’s policies and guidelines governing on-campus protests and demonstrations has completed its work. The committee’s final report includes recommendations for the administration and campus community and a general assessment of the university’s response to protests that occurred on the Danforth Campus in April 2024.
The committee, which was led by Emeritus Trustee William B. Pollard III and included eight other trustees, presented its findings March 7 to the full Board of Trustees, which voted to approve the report.
“Our goal was to conduct a fair, thorough and independent review of the events of last spring and to identify opportunities to improve or clarify the university’s policies and procedures concerning demonstrations on our campus,” Pollard said. “With the support of our WashU community, we were able to successfully accomplish this. The report provides our assessment of the administration’s response to the protests and offers recommendations to consider in responding to future events. We’re grateful to all who contributed to this endeavor and look forward to the administration considering our recommendations in the near future.”
Over the course of a six-month review, the committee engaged outside counsel to determine what occurred during the April 2024 demonstrations; examined extensive materials; conducted multiple interviews with administrators, faculty, staff and students; and met with Faculty Senate Council leadership to help inform its findings and conclusions. The committee’s full report includes outside counsel’s factual account of the April events, the committee’s assessment of the administration’s decisions and additional details about the recommendations. The full report is available online.
In the report, the committee acknowledges that WashU has a long history of supporting peaceful protest on campus, but found that the spring demonstrations presented “complex, difficult and unique challenges” for the administration. The report’s recommendations highlighted areas of potential improvement to university policies and protocols for responding to future protests. The report also concluded, based on the factual record, that the administration’s responses to the April 2024 demonstrations “were made in good faith and within the bounds of the university’s policies.”
The committee’s recommendations include:
- Review and augment policies that govern demonstrations;
- Review and strengthen crisis communication capabilities;
- Establish and publish clear criteria for supporting students who are suspended and barred from campus;
- Establish and publicize a policy governing protest activity by individuals not affiliated with WashU;
- Strengthen the Demonstration and Disruption team and provide additional support;
- Review protocols for responding to demonstrations on campus;
- Clarify chain-of-command for university leadership team, particularly when the chancellor is unavailable;
- Assess information-gathering capabilities; and
- Review police resources, including partnerships with neighboring municipalities.
In its report, the committee encouraged the WashU administration to work collaboratively with Faculty Senate Council leadership and student leaders to consider how best to implement changes, particularly any revisions of existing policies or the creation of new policies to enhance robust freedom of expression principles.
“On behalf of the board, I would like to express my appreciation to the members of the ad hoc committee for the diligent, thorough and fair manner in which they approached their work, as well as to the many members of the university community — faculty, students, staff and administrators — who contributed their important input to the committee’s efforts,” said Andrew M. Bursky, chair of the Board of Trustees and an ex-officio member of the committee.
“The committee’s report provides valuable insight and thoughtful recommendations for steps the WashU community may take to improve the university’s policies to ensure that they allow for free expression and protest within the bounds of what is reasonable in an educational and research setting. The committee has given the administration a valuable road map for navigating future demonstrations, and I believe our community will be stronger for it.”
