I read your article “In Protest Of BC Policy, Anonymous Student Group Stages Second Post Dump” right after I had seen several of the signs up around Stokes Hall. I was surprised to see the signs again. While I completely understand the angle that the students are coming from, it shows me, that rather than have continued dialogue with the University, the students threw a temper tantrum. Did they think a sign saying “This Sign is Illegal” was going to be approved by the University? I remember being very surprised to see that someone had chalked the same message onto the sidewalk in the Lyons Quad last year.
My initial reaction was not, “Oh my gosh! My freedom of speech is being infringed upon! Let me leap into action!” Rather, I was a bit disgusted that this was the avenue that was taken. I question the maturity of these individuals who put these signs up. While the chalk is easily washed away, I’m sure that the maintenance crew had a grand time washing away the students’ “expression.” These students are, if anything, agitating the university again, and are not putting their cause into a positive light, nor putting their cause into a favorable position with the University. Imagine if there were no regulations on what you could put up, or where you could put it up? It would make the University look tacky and unprofessional. Now, the University will probably reject the next proposal from UGBC and the University will cite this outburst as a reason why students need to have their flyers and proposals approved and monitored. Free Speech is a privilege, not a right. It’s a common and completely understandable misconception for those who believe that they are entitled to say whatever they desire. For some reason, some students believe that because they pay $60,000 a year, they have the right to say whatever they want. In your private life, you are entitled to say whatever you wish. However, once you begin using University resources (i.e. funds, paper, rooms, vehicles, buildings), there are strings attached. You are then at the mercy of the University. As a student at Boston College, I am forever grateful for the opportunity that the University affords me, both in the academic world, and social world. I hope that these students realize the fantastic opportunity that they are given at this prestigious university, and while I agree that there should be a conversation on how students should be given more opportunities to express themselves at BC, this outlet, or rather “outburst” is, quite frankly, childish at best.
Tyler Thurlow
CSON ’18
Featured Image by Carolyn Freeman / Heights Editor
