In his first Chat with the Chancellor, Sean O’Keefe continued his effort to develop a relationship with University students by addressing their concerns and questions — many of which were about the purple and gold Confederate flags visible on campus.
O’Keefe met with students Tuesday afternoon in Free Speech Alley as part of Student Government’s ongoing program, Chats with the Chancellor.
Tiffany Thomas, a political science junior, said she wants to know what the University plans to do about Student Senate Speaker Brandon Smith’s objections to the purple and gold Confederate flags visible on campus.
“I hope that with our new chancellor we can get something done about the flag,” Thomas said. “We tried before, and it was always pushed to the back burner.”
Alicia Calvin, a political science senior and president of the University’s NAACP chapter, said she wants O’Keefe to help the University become an “agent of change” and do what he can to get rid of the flags.
“People say these flags are a tradition,” Calvin said. “But traditions can be a barrier to progress.”
O’Keefe said the issue is touchy because the flags are protected by the First Amendment.
“I agree that the flags are offensive, and we should be doing what we can to actively discourage the flags,” O’Keefe said. “We just have to be careful about how we go about it.”
O’Keefe said he plans to meet with Smith to discuss specific plans for dealing with the flags.
“Yes, people have the right to express themselves freely, but by the same token, you can discourage things like [the flags],” O’Keefe said. “That’s free speech too.”
O’Keefe said many of the questions students asked Monday required more in-depth responses than he was able to give on the spot.
He said he plans to change the Web site for the Chancellor’s Office to include a place where he can answer students’ questions and post the answers online so everyone will have access to them.
“People came out to discuss issues, and the least I can do is try to find the answers to their questions and post them on my Web site,” O’Keefe said.
O’Keefe said he was impressed by the discussion of the flag issue.
“This is an interesting debate because the purple and gold stars and bars flag is offensive to some, but at the same time, they understand that you can’t step on free speech,” O’Keefe said. “That’s very advanced thinking, and I was impressed by their ideas.”
O’Keefe said he was pleased that students felt comfortable enough with him to discuss controversial subjects at his first Chat with the Chancellor.
“It is a delight to have students who are open enough to discuss concerns or issues they have or just to say hello,” O’Keefe said. “No one is intimidated here; that’s for sure.”