We’ve all seen advertisements for student organizations on our daily commutes through campus, from the half dozen bulletin boards in the ten Hoor lobby to the chalking about upcoming Bible studies or Greek life events beneath our very feet. Some people simply walk by these boards and ads, but some use it as a direct line to see what’s happening on campus.
However, some individuals or organizations take it upon themselves to prevent others from using these mediums.
During my past three years at the University, that’s exactly what I’ve seen and been the victim of. I’ve had to replace dozens of flyers that have been ripped down just because someone else disagrees with them. The Crimson White also wrote last semester about how many people poured water on my organization’s chalk messages to erase them. I myself had water poured directly on me by someone who was upset by my organization’s messages because I dared to sit on my chalk messages to protect them.
Is this allowed? Is this right?
The short answer is no. No student or student organization should have to worry about how long it will be until someone tears down their flyers or wash away their chalk messages.
The University’s Facility and Grounds Use Policy specifically prohibits erasure of chalk messages that follow guidelines by anyone other than the writer or University facility and grounds personnel, but the policy contains no such explicit protection for flyers and other printed materials
So no, no one’s flyers should be torn down just because someone disagrees with their message. While I will advocate for students to stop by their own volition, the University should also help protect their students’ and their organizations’ freedom of speech. It’s not just an inconvenience; it’s the time, energy, and often personal money of other students that is being destroyed. At a university built for learning, one should be more welcoming of diverse viewpoints, rather than going to great lengths to suppress them.
Trenton Buffenbarger is a junior majoring in political science and president of the UA Young Americans for Freedom chapter.
