Chalk of the City: Professors protest with colorful colors against new rules for using Harvard campus | News

A small group of Harvard professors wrote messages in chalk on the sidewalk beneath the John Harvard statue Tuesday afternoon to protest new university policies restricting protests on campus, including bans on writing in chalk and posting unapproved signs.

The five professors—Steven R. Levitsky, Walter Johnson, Ryan D. Enos, Richard F. Thomas and Hibah Osman—condemned the bans, implemented in August as part of a New list of campus usage rulesas a threat to students’ freedom of expression.

Some of the chalked messages were direct: “Why do preschoolers have more academic freedom than Harvard students?” read one.

“Long chalk to freedom,” read another. Nearby, a row of pink letters spelled out a warning: “Caution: Chalk is dangerous.”

Other messages had a different tone, welcoming students to campus and declaring, “I love puppies!”

Faculty members also posted three signs criticizing the requirement that signs and posters placed on Harvard property must first be approved by the University.

A Harvard University Police Department officer took photographs of the professors and the chalk messages, which were erased less than an hour after they were written.

College of Arts and Sciences spokesman Jonathan Palumbo declined to answer questions about whether administrators had authorized the removal and presence of the HUPD.

“A problem was reported and resolved according to normal protocols,” he wrote in an email.

In addition to restrictions on signage and chalking, Harvard’s campus rules include some common-sense provisions, such as restrictions on alcohol consumption and open flames, but also include measures to curtail protest tactics, such as a ban on camping and a requirement that events be sponsored by recognized organizations.

The new rules put Harvard in a long list of schools across the country — including the University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, Florida State University and Indiana University — that have tightened protest rules in preparation for another semester of demonstrations surrounding the war in Gaza.

President of the University Alan M. Garber ’76 and executive vice president of Harvard Meredith L. Weenick, Class of 1990 Weenick outlined the rules in emails sent to Harvard affiliates before the start of the fall semester. Weenick warned that affiliates who violate the policies could face disciplinary action or arrest by Harvard police.

Levitsky, a government professor, described the ban on chalk writing — and the threat of punishment — as “completely antithetical to the kind of democratic society I want to live in.”

Levitsky said he hoped the protest would draw students’ attention to the regulations and signal that student protesters have support among faculty.

“We don’t necessarily or always support their cause, but we strongly support their right to express themselves, their right to express opinions that might be unpopular and their right to protest,” he said.

Johnson, a professor of history and African and African American studies, criticized the restrictions in an emailed statement.

“The number of rules limiting and defining the boundaries of acceptable speech issued by university administration over the summer is dizzying,” he wrote. “Their approach seems to be to assert incredibly broad authority over speech, allowing them great latitude to selectively enforce rules.”

On Tuesday afternoon, students and tourists strolled through Harvard Yard, but most seemed unbothered by the professors’ demonstration. Families took photos next to the statue. Enos, a government professor, explained the chalked messages to a couple of undergraduates who had stopped to look.

“Why are they writing with chalk?” a woman asked as she walked by.

“Because it is forbidden,” Levitsky replied.

—You can reach staff writer Tilly R. Robinson at [email protected]Follow her on X @tillyrobin.