The politics of posting

Illustration by Josh Harding

By Bradley Hart
The Collegian

Two professors have filed official reports with the campus police department after a series of thefts and defacements involving postings on a bulletin board and an office door.

Both professors said stickers expressing support for the “LGBT” community have been taken down multiple times from spaces in the Speech Arts building.

“LGBT” is a commonly used acronym used to designate lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender individuals.

Communications professor Judith Scott is responsible for a set of stickers on a restricted bulletin board.

Scott said the stickers have been torn down 10 times in the past several years. She said the purpose of her postings is to create an environment that students of all sexual orientations can feel comfortable in.

“I think it’s really important as a part-time faculty member to create a safe space for the LGBT community,” Scott said.

Scott is not alone in dealing with theft. Communications professor Shane Moreman said he has also had problems with theft. Moreman said stickers on his office door in the Speech Arts building carrying a message similar to that of Scott’s stickers have been torn down three times in the past year. Moreman said he is planning to keep putting up stickers even if they do get torn down.

Moreman and Scott have both filed official complaints about the theft with the campus police department.

Scott said the police advised her to keep track of when the stickers are stolen and file formal complaints each time. If a thief is caught he or she could conceivably face charges.

For his part, Moreman said he is not sure why the stickers would cause controversy – but he is willing to discuss them with anyone who has a complaint.

“They’re welcome to come in and talk about why they have a problem with the sticker,” Moreman said.

Across campus, in a flier posted outside his office, political science professor David Schecter offered a $100 reward for the name of the person he said removed a poster of President Bush from his board.

Schecter had no comment.

According to campus policy, restricted boards and office doors are reserved for the exclusive use of department faculty. Other bulletin boards are made available for public use. Some boards are controlled by the department itself while others are left to individual professors to use.

Departments are also responsible for the content of display cases, such as those in Henry Madden Library and the Social Sciences building.

There have been conflicts involving restricted posting spaces in the past. In 2004, the results of an AS presidential election were affected after accusations involving the posting of campaign literature surfaced. According to the AS Election Code, candidates may not place campaign posters on restricted bulletin boards, as several candidates accused each other of doing.

Scott said the theft of her stickers is ultimately a free speech issue.

“You don’t have to read them but you don’t have a right to remove them,” Scott said. Moreman also said he is not giving up his fight.

“No matter how many times they take them down, we’ll keep putting up more,” he said.

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