Colleges and universities should support open communication among students rather than pandering to the loudest complainers.
Last week, some students at Emory University claimed that the chalk markings that read “Trump 2016” made them feel unsafe. According to them, the chalkings seemed to be a form of intimidation, and the university’s administration came to the rescue.
Later that same day, the students who felt endangered by the chalk messages protested. During this protest, some of them shouted, “You are not listening! Come speak to us. We are in pain!”
Despite the initial refusal of Emory President James W. Wagner to address the complaints through a school wide email, his attitude changed once he listened to the pleas of those offended during a board room discussion.
Wagner eventually told the protestors that the university would analyze the footage, and the people involved in chalking would receive the necessary punishment, depending on if they are Emory students.
I don’t care how you feel about Donald Trump. The simple act of supporting a candidate on a college campus presents no threat whatsoever. They were not protesting, lashing out or attacking other students. If writing a candidate’s name in chalk is now dangerous, then we are on our way to living in a bubble.
Many sources say calxophobia means “fear of chalk.” If any of the students have this phobia, they should visit their nearest therapist. Otherwise, there is nothing terrifying about chalk markings on a campus, apart from any containing explicitly threatening another person or group of people.
It seems as though we are entering a time when the political beliefs of a few are stifled if they differ from either a university’s beliefs or another group’s beliefs.
The students didn’t threaten anyone. They simply supported the candidate they believe should become president.
If this happened on our University’s campus, the students who disagree with the candidate’s message have the right to peacefully protest, but the administration should not silence a group’s political beliefs.
I’m sure some people feel Sen. Bernie Sanders’ message of democratic-socialism is dangerous to our economy, but I don’t think writing his name in chalk on a college campus would make national headlines. I also hope his supporters would have just as much of a right to support their candidate as Trump’s. Colleges and universities should encourage political involvement rather than censoring students.
The “Trump chalkers” struck again Monday at Scripps College, except this time they upgraded their weapon of choice to a marker on a whiteboard. Yes, you heard correctly. They used the deadly erasable marker to write “#trump2016.” Before the unsafe circumstance got out of hand, the student who originally uncovered the message notified campus security.
Colleges and universities should foster the political involvement of their students regardless of whether the administration agrees with the parties and candidates they support. If this happened here, I hope the University’s administration would support our free speech.
Charlie Bonacquisti is a 20-year-old mass communication sophomore from Dallas, Texas.