Student Involvement vies to change iconic area’s name.

Student Involvement sent a poorly circulated invitation for a survey last week, stating that the reason they want to change the name of the Free Speech Area. Their reasoning was: “This area is currently referred to as the Free Speech Area, which implies freedom of expression is confined to this area.”

Renaming the Free Speech Area on campus is a bad idea.

This is ridiculous. Of course freedom of expression is taking place all over campus. That is what happens when students and professors share information.

Every single classroom and office on this campus is a platform in which freedom of expression takes place. Give your students more credit for knowing that this campus is an open forum in which discussion and debate are always welcome, whether they in front of a PowerPoint presentation, or in front of the Peace Garden. ­

The reason the Free Speech Area needs to remain the Free Speech Area is because it is an invitation to students, faculty and the Fresno community to come and create a forum.

Students know that they are welcome and invited to gather here, in a place where we are familiar with seeing other students exercise their rights. It is an ideal location for this, as it is an area that is well traversed and easily accessible.

If the name changes, new students will have to rely on word of mouth that this is an area where they can give speeches, protest and build community. Without the name, we will see a decline in these activities.

Instead of them becoming campuswide (as Student Involvement would like) they will instead diminish.

While Student Involvement thinks that erasing the name will mean that there is freedom of expression everywhere, the reverse becomes true.

We should never get rid of areas of expression like this, we should only expand them. The name is not one that constricts, it is one that designates.

Students would not stage a protest by the Science Building. There is not enough foot traffic. The same is true with majority of the buildings on campus.

The Free Speech Area exists in part to designate, and to encourage freedom of expression. Removing the label would be removing the history of this great space. If people were only allowed to gather in this one area, that would be different. Students should be allowed to voice their thoughts wherever they are, and the Free Speech Area just happens to be an ideal location.

Some of the options on this list of suggested new names that students and faculty can vote on include “Victory Plaza,” “Bulldog Junction” and “Kennel Korner.”

These names serve absolutely no purpose. What do they tell you happens in this area? Nothing. Without designation, these are just placeholder names that have no real meaning to them.

Even the new parking lot names have more designation to them than a proposed “Kennel Korner.”

In fact, it is infuriating that “Kennel Korner” is even an option. It is a misspelled word on a college campus in an attempt to be cute.

Students are giving up a strong iconic name like “Free Speech Area” in favor of that? It sounds like a dog pound where bulldogs go to get euthanized, and someone thought that adding an alliteration of “k” would make it cute. It does not. It is one letter short of a hate group. ­

Do not belittle us by choosing cute names that serve no purpose. We are university students, not first graders.

We understand the impactful nature and necessity of freedom of expression.

If this is to be done anyways, students should be demanding an itemized list of the costs involved in making new campus signs and maps.

How much of our tuition is going to pay for this scheme of worthlessness?

There is no need for this spending. Instead, add this spending to a budget for a new parking structure. That is a serious issue on this campus that needs student involvement.

Call Student Involvement today and voice your opinion at (559) 278-2741.