'U' officials change chalking policy

Members of the University's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community chalked sidewalks in the early morning hours before National Coming Out Week last semester, but the chalkings were removed by University groundskeepers the next day.

Last winter term, leaders of the gay community said they believed members of the campus chapter of the College Republicans erased their Diag chalkings.

In response to this and other chalking incidents, the University officially amended its Policy for the Scheduled Use of Outdoor Areas last week to state that the University will not remove chalkings on University sidewalks or plazas.

Mary Lou Antieu, assistant to the vice president for student affairs, said the community's reaction to the incident last winter caused administrators to draft a formal, written chalking policy.

Under the former unofficial policy, if someone called groundskeepers to say they found chalkings "objectionable," groundskeepers would remove the chalkings, she said. In addition, sidewalks used to be cleaned according to a regular schedule.

"Chalkings were being removed because of the content of the chalking and we found that we needed this to change," Antieu said. "When a government unit removes a sign or chalking because of content, that could be a First Amendment violation."

Nicholas Kirk, former president of the College Republicans, said he was pleased the new policy recognizes chalk as an appropriate medium to spread news and ideas. He said his political group will chalk more frequently now that they know their messages will not be removed.

"I'm glad the University has finally come to the realization that chalking and postering are the same, and they can't abridge our First Amendment rights," Kirk said.

Queer Unity Project planning team member Amanda Miller said she is "surprised" and "elated" by the policy change.

She said the removal of chalkings during National Coming Out Week last fall was prejudiced and implied that some members of the University community harbored strong anti-gay sentiment.

The old policy "was absurd," Miller said. "It relied on the prejudices of a few people to decide when chalkings were removed."

Antieu said the University would consider removing chalkings if individuals complained the chalkings were libelous, slanderous or otherwise violated the law. But under the policy, if chalkings were altered by other groups, as they were last winter, the University would not become involved in the matter.

If someone considers a chalking offensive, Antieu said, they should no longer turn to the University for help.

"The appropriate response would be for the group who's offended (by the chalking) to remove it on their own," she said.

Miller said chalkings, whether they are offensive or not, exhibit the feelings and prejudices that exist across campus.

"This campus is a forum for free speech," Miller said. Through chalkings, "students can see the animosity and attitudes that exist out there, whether they express love or hate."

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