Late last week, The Ohio State University announced its newest policy to prevent students from voicing their political opinions on campus:
They banned the use of sidewalk chalk. Yes, I’m serious.
Starting this year, Ohio State students will be more restricted than toddlers.
Students found using sidewalk chalk — which washes away in a light rain — will be “be subject to potential conduct referral.”
They could also be “charged for the cost of any repairs required due to removal.”
The university even set up an email account so people can snitch on students seen using sidewalk chalk.
This is beyond parody. Students can be punished and charged for the cost of removing chalk from sidewalks? The cost of a bucket of rain water? The cost of turning on a sprinkler?
When did my beloved alma mater become a joke?
If you’ve ever seen the OSU Oval, you know there are hundreds of ways to cross it. It’s massive, and little sidewalks jut out everywhere.
No reasonable argument could be made that students drawing in chalk are somehow blocking passage.
OSU is a public university, and the Oval is a public, community space available to all.
We cannot let this new OSU policy stand. It’s ludicrous and embarrassing.
If you can get to OSU campus anytime in the future, take some children’s sidewalk chalk with you.
Write the words to the First Amendment. Write about free speech and free expression. Let students know in a “banned substance” that their rights are being taken away.
I also highly recommend joining/following the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) Ohio State chapter. They are doing incredible work to fight back against attacks on student speech.
Want to do more? Contact the university and threaten to remove your donations or your support.
Let’s show them what Buckeye Nation can do when someone makes a mockery of our school.
FINALLY a university administration doing something about the scourge of chalk on OSU's walkways!
As an OSU alum, for many long years I trekked across campus, my eyes singed and scoured by the constant chalky reflection of university event and student group meeting invites. It was unbearable!
So gratified by this development am I that today I'm founding the "Thank You OSU for Banning Chalk" organization to support President Carter and the university administration against any attacks on their bold initiative by shills like Rachel Coyle.
I intend to be interviewed by The Lantern to present a rousing defense of the chalk ban. Suppose someone were to write something controversial, in direct violation of our great Ohio Senate Bill 1 Sec. 3345.0217. (A)?!
We will next pursue the destruction of department bulletin boards, and book burnings. Let's also have the Governor deploy National Guard troops on campus, that's never gone wrong in Ohio.
They’re going to have a lot of fun with this in Ann Arbor.