Stuck in Seattle
09-23-2010, 06:50 AM
I've posted a few things like this in the past but it's been a while. I am a happy supporter of the work being done by FIRE as they attack oppressive and unconstitutional "speech codes" and other similar nonsense on campuses across the country.
How full of yourself do you have to be to act like the people at UGA in this story: (http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/university-of-georgia-punishes-student-for-parking-complaint-103566114.html#ixzz10LyQ6Juy)
"Jacob Lovell just wanted to park his scooter on campus, and when he found it a frustrating experience he sent a joking e-mail to the department that had asked for his feedback. But when it received his e-mail, he was threatened with punishment!" said FIRE President Greg Lukianoff. "Only on a college campus could a clearly flippant response to requests for complaints about parking on campus be turned into a judicial investigation for disorderly conduct."
UGA Parking Services (http://www.parking.uga.edu/) requests feedback from the public and encourages (http://www.parking.uga.edu/feedback.aspx) people to submit both "negative & positive" comments. On August 17, 2010, Lovell e-mailed (http://www.thefire.org/12270) Parking Services with his complaint about its service. His flippant and joking e-mail mused, "Did you guys just throw darts at a map to decide where to put scooter corrals?" and otherwise made fun of the department for what he perceived to be its poor job of providing parking for scooters.
Four hours later, Parking Services replied, "Your e-mail was sent to student judiciary." On September 3, 2010, Associate Dean of Students Kimberly Ellis sent Lovell a letter (http://www.thefire.org/article/12274.html) charging him with two violations of UGA's University Conduct Regulations, stating, "Specifically, it is alleged that Mr. Lovell engaged in disorderly conduct and disrupted parking services when he sent an email to them that was threatening."
"Over the years FIRE has seen multiple cases where campuses claimed that they felt 'threatened' by speech that really frightened no one," Lukianoff said. "Campuses that rely on cynical claims of feeling 'threatened' to chill merely critical speech should remember the parable of 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf.'"
The letter required Lovell to make a disciplinary appointment by September 13. Ellis informed Lovell that failure to do so would result in his record being "flagged," rendering him unable to add, drop, or register for classes. Lovell complied with this requirement on September 13.
Meanwhile, on September 10, FIRE wrote (http://www.thefire.org/index.php/article/12271.html) UGA President Michael F. Adams, explaining that Lovell's grievance was protected by the First Amendment. FIRE also repeated to President Adams that UGA maintains unconstitutional speech codes (http://www.thefire.org/spotlight/codes/407.html) in addition to the regulations used against Lovell's protected speech, and that administrators could be held personally liable by a court for the violation of students' constitutional rights, as a federal judge in Georgia ruled (http://www.thefire.org/article/12224.html) recently.
On September 14, Ellis informed (http://www.thefire.org/article/12276.html) Lovell that she "did not find sufficient evidence to move forward" with the charges and that the matter was now "closed."
Should it really have required attorneys to get UGA to back down? What a humorless twit that administrator must be.
How full of yourself do you have to be to act like the people at UGA in this story: (http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/university-of-georgia-punishes-student-for-parking-complaint-103566114.html#ixzz10LyQ6Juy)
"Jacob Lovell just wanted to park his scooter on campus, and when he found it a frustrating experience he sent a joking e-mail to the department that had asked for his feedback. But when it received his e-mail, he was threatened with punishment!" said FIRE President Greg Lukianoff. "Only on a college campus could a clearly flippant response to requests for complaints about parking on campus be turned into a judicial investigation for disorderly conduct."
UGA Parking Services (http://www.parking.uga.edu/) requests feedback from the public and encourages (http://www.parking.uga.edu/feedback.aspx) people to submit both "negative & positive" comments. On August 17, 2010, Lovell e-mailed (http://www.thefire.org/12270) Parking Services with his complaint about its service. His flippant and joking e-mail mused, "Did you guys just throw darts at a map to decide where to put scooter corrals?" and otherwise made fun of the department for what he perceived to be its poor job of providing parking for scooters.
Four hours later, Parking Services replied, "Your e-mail was sent to student judiciary." On September 3, 2010, Associate Dean of Students Kimberly Ellis sent Lovell a letter (http://www.thefire.org/article/12274.html) charging him with two violations of UGA's University Conduct Regulations, stating, "Specifically, it is alleged that Mr. Lovell engaged in disorderly conduct and disrupted parking services when he sent an email to them that was threatening."
"Over the years FIRE has seen multiple cases where campuses claimed that they felt 'threatened' by speech that really frightened no one," Lukianoff said. "Campuses that rely on cynical claims of feeling 'threatened' to chill merely critical speech should remember the parable of 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf.'"
The letter required Lovell to make a disciplinary appointment by September 13. Ellis informed Lovell that failure to do so would result in his record being "flagged," rendering him unable to add, drop, or register for classes. Lovell complied with this requirement on September 13.
Meanwhile, on September 10, FIRE wrote (http://www.thefire.org/index.php/article/12271.html) UGA President Michael F. Adams, explaining that Lovell's grievance was protected by the First Amendment. FIRE also repeated to President Adams that UGA maintains unconstitutional speech codes (http://www.thefire.org/spotlight/codes/407.html) in addition to the regulations used against Lovell's protected speech, and that administrators could be held personally liable by a court for the violation of students' constitutional rights, as a federal judge in Georgia ruled (http://www.thefire.org/article/12224.html) recently.
On September 14, Ellis informed (http://www.thefire.org/article/12276.html) Lovell that she "did not find sufficient evidence to move forward" with the charges and that the matter was now "closed."
Should it really have required attorneys to get UGA to back down? What a humorless twit that administrator must be.