The Students Against the State protest became the hot topic for discussion at Monday’s First Amendment Forum sponsored by the Cross Media Council and Political Science League.
The forum was sparked by the T-shirt ban controversy in February, but the focus was quickly redirected to the SATS protest April 20 at the Veterans Club memorial.
Panelists for the forum included Dean of Students James Parker, Sandy McKeown, criminial justice professor and Chuck Baldwin, journalist-in-residence at the Freedom Forum and the faculty advisor for The Volante.
For the most part, the three panelists were in agreement on the issues. The panelist said although they may or may not agree with the actions, the students still have the right to protest.
“It’s not so much what we can and can’t say, but how we say it,” Baldwin said, an advocate for the first amendment.
McKeown also brought up the publicity the memorial had received in the wake of the protest. She said it might have drawn more attention to the issue than the memorial itself. McKeown said some viewpoints have the ability to mobilize others.
Parker said many people complained to the institution they should not have allowed the protest. Although he said he supports and appreciates veterans and the veterans club, the opposition had the right to freedom of speech as long as it was in a civil discourse.
The protest was not the only focus of the discussion. Audience members addressed the ban on posters put up by the Secular Students Alliance and the dorm decorations.
The three also told those in attendance to listen to opposing opinions and ideas. McKeown said that free speech is not just about those who are in agreement.
“I think open honest discourse is a blazing torch,” she said. “I think we have a great opportunity to light that.”
Reach reporter Travis Berg at Travis.Berg@usd.edu.
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