DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF News) — SMU students are being told they can no longer display their annual 9/11 memorial on the campus’ most prominent lawn.
Every year, the student group Young Americans for Freedom, along with other organizations on campus, sticks miniature American flags into the lawn in front of Dallas Hall because it’s both one of the most prominent lawns on campus and where the SMU community gathered on September 11, 2001. Each flag represents an American life lost on 9/11.
But in an open letter written by Grant Wolf, the president of Young Americans for Freedom, he says the school is forcing them to move to a less prominent lawn, with SMU quoting a policy staying it wanted to “avoid messages that are triggering, harmful, or harassing.”
“I know they’ve since released statements talking about the size of the other location. In our mind, that’s really irrelevant,” Wolf said. “The relevant issue is that they justified it by saying they respected students’ rights to avoid offensive messages. That’s the core of the problem.”
SMU has since revised that policy, removing what it called poor wording with the words “triggering” and “harmful.” But the school still says it respects the rights of all students, including those who may be offended by any public display on the lawn in front of Dallas Hall.
A video of a student disagreeing with a pro-life demonstration on the same lawn went viral two years ago, leading Wolf to believe that is playing a role in SMU’s decision. But the school has not publicly said that is the case, instead pointing to the rights of students.
“People right, left and center have gotten around these displays and discussed the pro-life issue, among other things,” Wolf said. “They’ve facilitated healthy conversation because of their viability, and we don’t want to see that discontinued.”
Wolf called it a first amendment problem.
“It makes sense as a location to engage in discussion and demonstrate your ideas to your peers,” Wolf said of Dallas Hall, also referencing the high volume of foot traffic. “But beyond that really is the issue that the university justified their policy by saying the students have a right to avoid offensive messages, and that’s just simply not the case. That’s not what free speech is about.”
To view the open letter, which is co-signed by student Republican, Democrat, and feminist groups, click here.