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University invites outside experts for discussion on First Amendment Free Expression Tunnel events have raised awareness of First Amendment issues and what they mean
Some find slogan offensive Less than a day after voting on Homecoming theme, committee will have contest to determine new slogan Ty Johnson News Editor
Amber Kenney Senior Staff Writer
Following the election of President Barack Obama in November of last year, the four students expressed their disappointment the election results by writing controversial messages in the Free Expression Tunnel. The statements found written in the tunnel have been called everything from free speech to a hate crime in the months past and the controversies from the event has led to many debates and discussions on campus regarding the First Amendment. To get more perspective, the University pre-law services joined with the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina to bring four law experts from around the state to debate what the First Amendment has come to mean to universities across the state. Matthew Quinn, the editor-in chief of the Campbell Law Review and the debate’s moderator, opened the debate by describing the Free Expression Tunnel as an open forum, a location where anybody can express their feelings about any issue. He then asked a question regarding the freedom of the tunnel. Katy Parker, a representative from the ACLU of N.C., said she was in support of the freedom of the tunnel.
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Michael Curtis, a professor at Wake Forest Law School, talks about the legal ramifications and controversies regarding putting limits on free speech at the Annual Slater Newman Debate in Withers Hall Tuesday night. The panel, including Shannon Gilreath, a professor at Wake Forest Law School, Katy Parker, a lawyer at the ACLU, and Gregory Wallace, a professor at Campbell University, discussed free speech as it related to the Free Expression Tunnel. “I want to see a time when free speech and equality can contend on the same plane,” Gilreath said.
“I walked through [the tunnel], and it made me want to be in college again. It was free, and fun,” Parker said. Parker went onto explain that a college campus should be the biggest supporter of free speech. “Speech codes would prevent
students from discussing issues, which would prohibit students from getting a well-rounded education outside of the classroom,” she said. Michael Curtis, a professor from Wake Forest Law School, said he supported the purpose of
the tunnel to an extent. “We have a very protective first amendment, but it does not protect threats. That is a well established first amendment exception,” he said, Shannon Gilreath, a professor from Wake Forest Law School,
thought the term did not accurately represent the issues behind the Free Expression Tunnel. “Hate speech is not a broad enough term to encompass all TUNNEL continued page 3
Rally 4 Talley kicks off with celebration Campaign organizers stress student input in project to renovate student centers
of the campaign and a freshman in applied sociology, said the Talley Student Center, which opened in 1972 when the UniTy Johnson versity had about 14,000 students News Editor enrolled, isn’t capable of serving all of the student body’s needs. A celebration in the Brickyard He said the only way to have a Tuesday marked the kick-off of student center that truly served Rally 4 Talley, a campaign to in- students would be to have stucrease student awareness and in- dent input, which is largely what put concerning the University’s the campaign calls for. planned Talley Student Center “The campaign is an effort to renovations. bring the plans and ideas to the Student Centers President students,” Woodward said. MaryCobb Randall said the Incoming Union Activities campaign’s goals Board President are educating Ma rgo Sauter students about said getting stuthe renovations dent suppor t a nd gaug i ng for the project student opinion is pa ra mou nt about the details since the feeof the renovadependent renotions. vations will be “The aim of more costly than the campaign is other projects. to educate stu“The cost will dents about the be a lot comMaryCobb Randall, developments pared to preand get t heir Student Centers president v ious renovainput about the tions,” Sauter center,” Randall, said. “We need a freshman in business manage- the support of students.” ment, said. “We want it to be a Woodward said making stustudent movement. We want to dents aware and involved in the put the student back in student process was the only way a new center.” Talley Student Center could beMatt Woodward, an organizer come a reality.
“We want it to be a student movement. We want to put the student back in student center.”
“The project wont go forward RALLY 4 TALLEY STUDENT INPUT INFORMATION without the students’ consent,” The Rally 4 Talley campaign aims to increase awareness of the planned he said. “We’re trying to show renovations for Talley Student Center and to involve students directly in students feel they need it.” the development of ideas for the new center. Tuesday’s event was mostly to Direct all comments and ideas to rally4talley.com show students the campaign existed, Randall said. The Web site also has information about events, plans, and a timeline She also said it was a chance outlining the anticipated completion of the renovation project, plus artist to communicate just how depenrenderings of possible outcomes for the structure. dent on student input the projSOURCE: MARYCOBB RANDALL ect is and to communicate how important the new center could be to future students, especially “It’s going to be a graduated and visiting students.” to students who won’t be able to fee,” Randall said. “The fee is Sauter, a junior in mechaniuse the finished product as un- structured so students will be cal engineering, said the imdergraduates. paying for what they’ll receive, portance of students getting “We’re really comparatively. involved at the beginning of trying to show We’re trying to the project will allow them to juniors and semake it as fair have more control over what niors this can be for students as the new center will offer. an investment possible.” “We don’t know what resin t he f uture Randall said taurants will be in there or of N.C. State,” st udent s who what it will look like,” she R a nda l l sa id. won’t see a com- said. “We’re hoping students “Pa st a lu m n i pleted Talley can will put comments on the have sponsored look forward to Rally 4 Talley web site.” the completion renovations of Sauter said without comof the library and ot her campus ments and ideas from stuMargo Sauter, UAB other buildings, locations in the dents, the administration president and we want [upnear future. won’t know what students perclassmen] to “We’re reno- truly want out of their stusee this a way for vating the Atri- dent center. them to leave a legacy.” um and that will be an imme“Someone wanted Arby’s,” Randall said the student fee in- diate return for students,” she Sauter said. “So we told him creases will gradually go up so said, adding she hopes the center to put it on the Web site bethe students who pay the most will become an icon on campus. cause otherwise we won’t for the renovations will receive “We want it to be a place where know what students want.” the most use from the finished alumni can bring their children center. and for it be a draw for incoming
“We don’t know what restaurants will be in there or what it will look like.”
Hours after the Homecoming planning committee voted on this fall’s slogan, committee members began rethinking their decision to make the theme for Homecoming Week “Shell shock the Terps.” The slogan was selected in reference to the football team’s Nov. 7 match-up with the Maryland Terrapins, but concerns over the use of the term shell-shock have led the committee to reconsider its slogan choice. “After it was announced, a number of people came up concerned about the use of the term shell shock,” Adam Compton, chair of the Homecoming planning committee, said. “We were thinking shells like Terrapins and shocking them, but others were concerned about its meaning in relation to post-traumatic stress disorders in the aftermath of war.” Kendall Brobst, a member of the Homecoming Committee and a sophomore in psychology, said there were concerns about going with another armed forces theme this year even before the term shell-shock was called into question. Last year’s theme, “Take out Boston College,” brought about many warlike details during Homecoming Week, including floats resembling tanks and fighter jets, and use of camouflage in paintings, advertisements, and the parade. “We would have used a lot of the same themes as we did last year,” Brobst said. “Most of the floats had something to do with war.” Brobst said while going with the voted upon theme may have led to repetitiveness during Homecoming Week, the real issue with the theme was in the wording. “Everyone was fine with it last night until they thought about it and found [shell shock] wasn’t the best term to use,” Brobst said. “The theme is not so much the controversy as is the term shell shock.” Compton, a senior in agricultural business management, said the committee knew it was important to pick a new theme immediately upon hearing concerns about the slogan. “We’re a nation at war and we need to think about those SLOGAN continued page 3
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