The University of Florida has told two graduate students in film who are making a documentary about an orphanage in Haiti for their master’s thesis project that they cannot use footage they shot there after the college banned students from traveling to Haiti, citing safety concerns. The students, John G. Bougher and Roman Safiullin, had visited Haiti before the January 12 earthquake and went back in February, after the travel ban, using private funds. Not using the footage from the later trip, they told The Gainesville Sun, would be like “covering the 2000 election without having the Supreme Court battle included.” A university official, however, said that allowing the students to use the footage would be “sort of like a ‘wink, wink’” at the college’s travel policy, according to the Sun.
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3 Responses to U. of Florida Says Students Cannot Use Haiti Footage Because of Travel Ban
teacherspaddle - March 30, 2010 at 10:08 am
This response is bureaucratic nonsense, couched in the language of paternalistic protection. Sounds like the film thesis was underway before and during the earthquake. The students used private funding to finish filming, making sure the university was not legally liable should anything happen. End of story: potentially timely and significant thesis, a positive reflection on the university for supporting this kind of work and foresight, and happy UF lawyers. But administrative egos get in the way, and they seek to retaliate against grad students for ‘thumbing their nose’ at the travel ban. Why not just charge the students with insubordination and send them to detention?
cwinton - March 30, 2010 at 4:42 pm
I totally agree with teacherspaddle. UF needs to retract this bit of overweening idiocy. I also think they should consider replacing the incompetent member of their staff who is behind this.
hartfordb2 - March 31, 2010 at 8:49 am
The University of Florida has no authority to ban ANY student from traveling to ANYWHERE…This is not elementary school and any consequence of traveling to anywhere is solely the responsibility of the traveler…This is NONSENSE!!! Take it to Federal Court and let the judge have a good laugh…