[FC.USC]: Free Culture USC Response to University Fines
Today, USC Free Culture invited students to our campus’ “Free Speech Zone” to speak freely and openly about issues of importance. Students spoke about the environment, politics, art, their peers, their haircuts, what they ate for breakfast — anything that came to mind. Even more students brought sidewalk chalk with which they wrote words and drew pictures within the “Free Speech Zone” boundaries.
In a mild act of civil disobedience, USC Free Culture posted flyers outside of the “Free Speech Zone” that stated simply “This is Not a Free Speech Zone.” Our focus was to explore free speech on campus within the given rules (found here) while simultaneously arguing that USC’s controlled definitions of free speech run counter to “the development of human beings and society as a whole through the cultivation and enrichment of the human mind and spirit.“
The university soon sent us an e-mail, fining USC Free Culture for violating university policy on unapproved flyer posting and charging us an undisclosed amount for the removal of the sidewalk chalk. USC Free Culture’s scheduling privileges, which are necessary for most on-campus group activities, have been suspended until the fines are paid.
On principle, we’ve agreed to pay the price for posting the flyers which were placed outside the “Free Speech Zone” and against university regulations (found here). We wanted to make a point and we will bear the consequences wholeheartedly. However, many others also used sidewalk chalk as a means of expression. Ideologically, we have no contention with this act - in fact, many of us participated in the chalking. We were attempting to practice free speech rights in a meaningful way and enable our peers to do so as well. To fine us for doing so seems antithetical to USC’s stated mission.
What USC Free Culture did today should be seen as a positive act for the USC community. On a campus that is ordinarily apolitical, people were standing up and engaging one another in a way that was truly inspiring. We believe that this is an extraordinarily positive event and will continue to support free speech and expression of ideas on USC’s campus in any way we can. If this means repeatedly paying fines in an effort to give the community a chance to speak out, so be it.
August 26th, 2007 at 3:17 am
[…] The continued failure to do so will only result in more ruptures, more breakdowns and DMCA “Take-Downs”, more suffering in communities just outside our Ivory Tower in South-Central or Harbor Gateway. We’re done writing text about these failures. It is time for action. We’ve stated who are our adversaries. Like true Gentlemen and Ladies, we even welcomed, and then warned, our friends in the administration. They chose to ignore them. We then organized a “University and the 21st Century” panel, which no one out 10 administrators from the IT or General Counsel office could fine time to attend. It was an extraordinary success and complemented our next panel on “Free Culture Outside the Ivory Tower.“ Meanwhile, in a show of support with the Anti-Sweatshop group being bullied while staging a peaceful public action, USC FC protested the school “approved” free speech zone policy, was fined and had our privledges suspended. […]