The UNC System — the body that manages and oversees North Carolina’s public universities, including NC State — recently launched a new branding campaign and logo, according to a report by WRAL. The piece notes that, “University system leaders say the new branding campaign will strengthen and unify the system.” Yet the Board of Governors, the System’s governing body, has pursued a series of policies that undermine the strength, unity and independence of the universities it leads.
I have written previously on a law passed by the NC General Assembly regarding campus free speech. Although the law claims to protect free speech on campus, it achieves this protection by threatening disciplinary action on individuals who disrupt speakers invited by on-campus groups, or otherwise inhibit free expression. The law called for a committee under the Board of Governors to establish policies in order to implement the law.
The Board passed a policy on Dec. 15 satisfying the law’s objectives, the News and Observer reports. The policy contains similar language to the law, expressing support for free speech, but also “sets out a range of likely punishments for anyone — students, faculty or staff — who “substantially disrupts” the functioning of an institution or “substantially interferes” with the free expression rights of others.”
Like the original law, the UNC policy appears to threaten the rights of students at NC State to protest speakers and causes they disagree with. Notably, the policy still fails to define what constitutes a substantial disruption, obscuring where the line is drawn between lawful and unlawful behavior.
Given NC State’s proximity to the General Assembly, we are a prime site for discourse about the direction of our state and country. Take the HKonJ march, scheduled for Feb. 10, which aims to support wages, education and fair voting policies by marching to the Capitol building in downtown Raleigh. Events like these underscore the importance of our right to engage in political activities, without fear of punishment for exceeding some arbitrary standard of disruption.
Universities are valuable institutions because of their commitment to expanding free thought. Policies that inhibit or threaten to inhibit speech, even in the guise of defending it, prevent students from adequately representing their opinions, and thereby learning how others see the world. This harms unity, since opposing viewpoints are forced to stay quiet, instead of venting openly, trying to build common ground and mutual understanding.
The Board of Governors has also recently passed a policy preventing centers associated with the UNC System from participating in litigation, according to WRAL. The move targeted the UNC Center for Civil Rights, a litigation service under UNC Chapel Hill’s law school, which helped disadvantaged North Carolinians with legal issues.
The policy raises questions about the academic independence of the universities in the UNC System, as the WRAL piece notes that, “Board members who supported the change say the center should focus less on filing lawsuits and more on teaching.” The idea that the board can shut down our universities’ academic institutions merely because they disagree with their practices should alarm us as students who want a broad and rigorous curriculum. The board is responsible for governing our universities, not controlling them.
Our ability to create institutions that seem valuable to our education is one of the hallmarks of NC State and our “Think and Do” mentality. It is debilitating for our governing body to repress our freedom to use our education to make a difference in the community. As students, we must continue to dream up big ideas to improve our education and pitch them to the administration.
We ought to continue voicing our opinions on current events and making our campus an inclusive environment. And finally, those of us who are citizens of North Carolina must use our vote to fight for a board that represents our interests — no matter what their logo is.
