Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Helman Art Walk set for Wednesday Long distance family: How to find help Salmon spawning in Bear Creek Calendar: Saturday, Oct. 18 Vandals damage Iron Mike statue, steal its rifle Education Foundation kicks off ambitious 'Count Me In' fundraising campaign SOU students protest university's free-speech zone Earth colliding with dust field left by Comet Halley Event Tuesday to honor first computer programmer Pep band conductor, 3.98 student Wurfl earns Rotary kudos Environment Fires and forests evolved together, but now people are in the mix Marijuana growers are threat to salmon, biologists conclude Annual tour shows how to live green Business Carpe Noctem Cultivating, nourishing and honoring community resources Ashland repeats as a Google 'eCity' Harry & David will hold hiring fair Thursday Silvio Calabi: Nissan’s Taxi of Tomorrow Politics and elections Stricker steps down from Talent council Merkley-Wehby to debate in Medford Ashland land use rule review continues Council backs bump in tax to support buses Travel expert touts pot legalization State News Nation - World Obituaries Alvin Simmons Death Notices James Waldo Littlefield James W. Littlefield Cecile (DeLozier) Sports Latest Stories Grizzlies run out of magic in loss to No. 3 Springfield No. 4 SOU, No. 3 Carroll to square off in Frontier Conference showdown Third-ranked Concordia strikes quick, topples SOU Ashland hopes soft shells can reduce head injuries SOU wrestler Gutches to compete in NWCA All-Star Classic High school Grizzlies run out of magic in loss to No. 3 Springfield Ashland hopes soft shells can reduce head injuries Grizzlies can't hold lead in five-set loss to Challengers Ashland volleyball team pushes Summit in three-set loss Grizzlies use trick play to stun Comets Southern Oregon University No. 4 SOU, No. 3 Carroll to square off in Frontier Conference showdown Third-ranked Concordia strikes quick, topples SOU SOU wrestler Gutches to compete in NWCA All-Star Classic Raider forward Thompson voted CCC preseason POY SOU football team No. 4 in latest poll Opinion Latest Stories State of love not state's business Letters to the editor Our view: Positive about Bates Viral story raises real life-death questions Letters to the editor Editorial Our view: Positive about Bates Our View: Fostering e-success Our View: Elect Talbert and Moro M. 90 lessens partisanship Our View: Seffinger for Position 4 Letters Letters to the editor Letters to the editor Letters to the editor Letters to the editor Letters to the Editor, Oct. 13 Guest opinions Religion and politics in America City should revise its rules for murals Into the heart of darkness Herb Rothschild: Peace begins at the table City still ignores Plaza suggestions Revels Latest Stories Best Bets: Things to do around Ashland Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Cast makes 'The Judge' worth watching Tutunov Piano Series begins at SOU New plays debut at ANPF Theater New plays debut at ANPF Camelot Theatre presents 'Spotlight on Johnny Mercer' Music Q&A: Broken Down Guitars The Farr Side: Bryan Adams releases album of influential hits Tutunov Piano Series begins at SOU Q&A: Becky Alter Q&A: Band du Pays Swing Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk Movies Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Cast makes 'The Judge' worth watching Movie review: ‘The Judge’ doesn’t know when to end Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas 'Gone Girl' is a dark, twisting winner Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Helman Art Walk set for Wednesday Long distance family: How to find help Illness: One road to inner peace Dr. Jeff Hersh: The enterovirus is not new Dr. Murray Feingold: The first successful uterus transplant Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs NEWS NOW Calendar: Saturday, Oct. 18 ... Vandals damage Iron Mike statue, steal its rifle ... Calendar: Friday, Oct. 17 ... Calendar: Saturday, Oct. 18 ... Vandals damage Iron Mike statue, steal its rifle ... Calendar: Friday, Oct. 17 ... EDUCATION SOU students protest university's free-speech zone By Teresa Thomas For the Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Teresa Thomas For the Daily Tidings Posted Oct. 16, 2014 @ 6:35 pm Updated Oct 16, 2014 at 7:44 PM By Teresa Thomas For the Daily Tidings Posted Oct. 16, 2014 @ 6:35 pm Updated Oct 16, 2014 at 7:44 PM » Social News Southern Oregon University's "free speech zone" is being scrutinized after four SOU students earlier this month protested outside the zone and were told to move by school officials. The students — one was identified as Stephanie Keaveney, the student government’s director of administration and finance, and another was Student Body President Promise Grace — were handing out copies of the Constitution and collecting signatures for a petition against SOU’s free speech zone. According to SOU’s website, the free speech zone is outside the Stevenson Union and is an area where “individuals and groups, whether they are affiliated with SOU or not, are free to express ideas … as long as that expression falls within legal limits and does not interfere with the SOU educational process.” On Tuesday, Oct. 7, the students stationed themselves near McLoughlin Hall and the Greensprings Complex and, when asked by school officials to move to the free speech zone, refused. The students later told a reporter with Campus Reform, a website that dubs itself a “watchdog to the nation’s higher education system,” that university officials threatened to call the police and threatened disciplinary action. “I’m not going to speculate on what the students perceived was a threat,” said SOU spokesman Ryan Brown. “There were four students handing out copies of the Constitution near the residence halls, and they were asked to relocate to the free speech zone, then did not relocate,” he said. “They were not prevented from continuing to hand out the Constitution, or disciplined in any way by the university. And they won’t be.” Video clips of the interactions between the students and several school officials, including Family Housing & Madrone Area Coordinator Allyson Beck, Director of University Housing Tim Robitz and a campus public safety officer, were posted on the Campus Reform website. The incident has been covered by Fox News and United Press International, in addition to other news organizations around the country. “For one thing we are not here today as student government and for another, we don’t believe that campus policy can trump the Constitution and our constitutional rights, so no matter what the campus policy is, we think that, first and foremost, we are guaranteed constitutional rights and that’s why we are out here,” one female student is heard telling Robitz in the video, which has garnered nearly 92,000 views.   The student also could be heard telling Beck, “We are not going to move. Thank you for coming down here and talking to us and explaining the unconstitutional policies on campus, but we are not going to move.” The female student declines to provide her name when Beck asks for it, but says that she and the other students were in the process of starting a group on campus called Students for Concealed Carry.  Calls to Keaveney Thursday afternoon were not immediately returned. In the video, the students also are heard asking the safety officer what will happen if they don’t move to the free speech zone. The officer responds, “I will have to call Ashland Police Department, and it’s gonna get a little more complicated.” Brown said Ashland police were not called. Throughout the 18-minute video, officials ask the students repeatedly to move, and the students repeatedly explain their stance and remind the officials that it is a public university. “So you guys are not willing to follow the policy that exists now?” Robitz asks them. “You are going to violate that policy to try to make a point?” “Absolutely,” says a female student. “That’s how protests and things change America.” “I don’t know if that’s necessarily accurate, but you are entitled to that opinion,” Robitz replies. “The students (living in the residence halls) have the right to have the ability to come by here without you guys invading their space and asking them to do something,” he adds later in the video. Brown said SOU administrators have reached out to the four students and other students on campus to see whether there is a way to revise or change practices “in a way that would better benefit the entire campus community.” The policy instituting a free speech zone has been in place for more than a decade, Brown said. Thursday afternoon, the university released the following statement: "The administration of Southern Oregon University regrets the manner in which last week’s events regarding students distributing copies of the US Constitution on campus unfolded. The administration believes in and supports free speech and is committed to working with students to develop practices that are consistent with the interests and desires of our campus community. ... After being held in an internment camp as a child, SOU President Dr. Roy Saigo is particularly sensitive to issues of civil rights and looks forward to working closely with students to develop new practices regarding speech on campus."  Reach reporter Teresa Thomas at 541-776-4497 or [email protected]. Follow her at www.twitter.com/teresathomas_mt. By Teresa Thomas For the Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Teresa Thomas For the Daily Tidings Posted Oct. 16, 2014 @ 6:35 pm Updated Oct 16, 2014 at 7:44 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501