No Chalk!

No Bad-Taste Posting!

No Mess!

Dear Editor,

A September 24 Journal article quotes Student Life Director Don Appiarius as saying that the "decision to prohibit the chalking was made last semester" and that writing with chalk on campus would be "breaking the disciplinary code." The article also said all flyers advertising events on campus must first be approved by Appiarius to make sure they are not, among other things, in "bad taste."

As the chair of the committee that revised the Student Grievance and Disciplinary Codes several years ago, I cannot imagine the source of the university's authority to promulgate such insulting regulations. Although the Student Code proscribes "harassment or intimidation directed against another person or persons," it does not ban the use of chalk on sidewalks, unless of course there is "intentional property damage." I doubt chalking a sidewalk causes the kind of property damage that is cause for formal discipline.

The Code is completely silent on matters such as flyers, but there are no general UIS restrictions on campus free speech other than the First Amendment and relevant state law. I had known of Student Life rules requiring approval of student campaign materials, but to suddenly broaden the rules to cover all campus events is ludicrous. Does anyone scheduling a movie or discussion now have to get permission to post flyers? If this has been the policy all along, it clearly has not been followed, and it's important to ask why we should start now.

Can the administration pass a rule banning the use of chalk and requiring permission for all flyers without campus deliberation? Whether the answer is yes or no, I urge the relevant governance bodies to oppose efforts to restrict our speech. The university has a history of such efforts, which you can read about on my website at http://www.dennisfox.net.

Dennis Fox

Associate Professor of Legal Studies

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Related

1996 memo on earlier Administration effort to enact broader restrictions on campus speech.