2008 Woodie Awards
SectionsRally responds to censorship
Robin Hoover
Issue date: 10/30/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 2 next >
|
More than 40 students at one point joined the protest. Most were holding homemade signs with various phrasings of the F-word.
One organizer of the group, J.T. Eberhard, a junior music major, said the point of the protest was not about saying the F-word, it was about free speech.
"If in a place where allowed free speech, you take away F--, can you take away others or concepts and ideas?" Eberhard said.
During Your Mom Fest on Oct. 5, campus safety officials and the police department responded to a call that was made to the safety and transportation office log dispatcher.
Grant Story, public information officer for the Springfield Police Department, said last week that the police department had no record of responding.
However Gary Snavely, the director of safety and transportation, said the Springfield City Police Department would not have a record of it because the call was made to the safety and transportation office dispatcher. Snavely said even though they may have responded, it was listed in the log as "handled by officer."
During an interview with The Standard on Monday, Story said city police did not approach anyone at the concert, but observed it from a distance.
"Police were working that day, yes; drove by, yes; but they did not interact with anything at the concert. There was no reason to contact anyone so no one was called," Story said.
The safety officer, who has not been identified, told the organizer of the event that the bands could not use the F-word because it violated the Missouri State Expre-ssive Activity Policy.
The Expressive Activity Policy states that everywhere on campus is a free-speech area for students and employees, but the Bear Paw is designated for all people in the community to use.
Snavely said the saftey officer was enforcing the Expressive Activity Policy because the language was "profane."
Earle Doman, dean of students, said the students seemed to be concerned their freedom of speech was being restricted.
Doman said he wished the concerns could have been expressed to a university official in the first place.
"The situation probably wasn't handled correctly," Doman said. "Profanity is not an obscenity."
Doman said he was concerned that young students at Greenwood Laboratory School may have seen the signs during the protest on Friday.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 12
Foreign born Patriot
Foreign Born Patriot
posted 10/29/07 @ 10:25 PM CST
It seems like there is a problem with boundaries on campus. this campus isn't populated with left leaning, or Bible belt bucklers, who have not heard profanity before but there are times where profanity just for the fun of it pushes the envelope and there is no real reason to be profane. (Continued…)
Rob Lehr
posted 10/30/07 @ 4:12 AM CST
The following is a video photo compilation of the event. I think you guys will enjoy it. I am very happy with how it turned out
http://www.youtube. (Continued…)
JT Eberhard
posted 10/30/07 @ 7:27 AM CST
This was a free speech zone on the MSU campus. Where freedom of speech is permitted in accordance with private property law, which MSU has elected to do on the Bear Paw, the slippery slope argument, for once, actually applies. (Continued…)
Brandon Davis
posted 10/30/07 @ 3:27 PM CST
Foreign Born-
You do bring up some good points about how good we have it here in regards to the freedoms that others have in other countries. However, it's not germaine to the conversation because we don't live in other countries and ergo, should not use other countries as a benchmark for our civil liberties. (Continued…)
JT Eberhard
posted 10/30/07 @ 3:30 PM CST
Holy cow, I think Brandon Davis just agreed with me. *heart attack* ;)
JT
Brandon Davis
posted 10/30/07 @ 3:32 PM CST
Foreign Born-
On your point that someone else with the same freedoms as I chose to make a complaint about the usage of the dreaded F-word doesn't make it a crime. (Continued…)
JT Eberhard
posted 10/30/07 @ 10:23 PM CST
I cannot tell you how weird I feel saying this, but I agree with Brandon completely. Well said, Mr. Davis.
JT
Kevin Sweet
posted 10/30/07 @ 10:48 PM CST
JT:
"The fact that nobody seem concerned about Jed, yet there is any pious outrage over the word "fuck," seems to be a grotesque misappropriation of our moral priorities. (Continued…)
DB
posted 11/01/07 @ 12:39 PM CST
i bet the grade school across the street from the bear paw really like all the FUCK signs.
Foreign Born patriot
posted 11/02/07 @ 10:55 PM CST
Mr Brandon: I'm a fairly decently educated American citizen and I understand that we have many liberties here that are taken for granted and that those liberties are getting smaller and smaller by the year and I certainly do agree, "Live free or die" as thats the way I feel when they come, as they will, to take my guns away, one of these days, especially if we get a gun lover such as the Clinton/Obama team in our highest office in these next few months. (Continued…)
Post a Comment