Previous After Roadway Prank, SUNY-Morrisville Athlete Finds the Joke's on Her |
Next Education Dept. Says West Virginia U. Violated Crime-Reporting Law |
September 28, 2009, 11:24 AM ET
U. of Arizona Student Faces Criminal Charges in Chalking Crackdown
A University of Arizona graduate student's arrest last week for advertising a protest with chalked messages on campus sidewalks has gotten widespread criticism, according to the Arizona Daily Wildcat, the student newspaper. The student, Jacob Miller, a master's candidate in geography, was seeking to draw attention to a protest of budget cuts and what organizers called the commercialization of higher education. He faces charges of criminal damage and disrupting university operations. The university, acting after an anonymous faculty member complained, initially said it would cost $1,000 for workers to clean up the 80 chalkings; officials later amended that estimate to $350. Or they could have just waited for rain.
Comments
1. greenhills73 - September 28, 2009 at 01:44 pm
Normally waiting for rain would seem reasonable. But remember, this is the University of Arizona we're talking about.
2. cmmoore1 - September 28, 2009 at 03:40 pm
HHHMMMMM....and the problem of discourse with a public university is....what? Is this a violation of Freedom of Speech?? It seems that budget cuts and commercialization of higher education are happening all the time in these economic times. The universities have to make money somewhere.
We have chalking on the campus sidewalks that goes on here all the time as a means of communication. It has for over well over 30 years. So what else is new....
3. alan_kors - September 28, 2009 at 03:54 pm
Chalking happens on every campus, with very wide latitude.... how unsurprising but appalling to move against it when the issue is one of the clearest public concern. What a great strategy: "When we err, let's err on the side of censorship."
4. rmelton5 - September 28, 2009 at 04:01 pm
Universities don't want wealthy alums or other potential donors who may be strolling on campus to see signs of student 'activism' and particularly not signs that tell taxpayers that they're cheap.
5. ipfwcomm - September 28, 2009 at 04:02 pm
Now that the campus has successfully arrested a student for writing in chalk on a sidewalk, perhaps it finally can begin prosecution of faculty who use chalk to write all over the black and green slate-y things hanging on the walls of classrooms in campus buildings. Talk about a nuisance.
6. 11245928 - September 28, 2009 at 04:33 pm
black and green? They haven't been black and green for umprteen years, have they?
Where did this kid get chalk?
7. ipfwcomm - September 29, 2009 at 11:08 am
our campus actually still has chalkboards, with chalk just sitting there, tempting those scofflaws who haved a pathological urge to write things on flat surfaces. Perhaps a better approach would be for Arizona to begin a "chalking" remediation program, or start distributing free pencils and sheets of paper to those who just can't help themselves.
8. ipfwcomm - September 29, 2009 at 11:09 am
our campus actually still has chalkboards, with chalk just sitting there, tempting those scofflaws who haved a pathological urge to write things on flat surfaces. Perhaps a better approach would be for Arizona to begin a "chalking" remediation program, or start distributing free pencils and sheets of paper to those who just can't help themselves.
9. 22212102 - September 29, 2009 at 12:44 pm
FYI--
Local newscasts this morning (9/29)indicated UA has dropped the charges.
Add Your Comment
Commenting is closed.