The Free Expression Tunnel is a tradition of the University dating from the 1960s. Every kind of speech has been written and every kind of event has been held in the tunnel over the past 50 years. The group of students protested the painting they believed was offensive, and they have every right to do so. However, their rights end where other students’ rights begin, including what they can write and where they travel.

There are other ways to deal with offensive paintings. Students walk through the tunnel every day and keep walking. They may glance at the walls, and may think about what is on there, but they move on. Sometimes the paintings stimulate thought and discussion, and sometimes they don’t matter. However, students also have the option to take a spray can and paint over whatever they want to. Throughout the history of the tunnel, groups have painted it a solid color to protest or to make a statement.  But what matters at the end of the day is that they had the right.

By locking arms and blocking people from getting through the tunnel, the protestors were impeding the rights of others. The protestors could have lined the tunnel and shouted and sang, but allowed students to travel freely. Physically handicapped students can’t travel between the campuses any other way. No one should be barred access to a major thoroughfare, even if it is for a cause.

There are positive things that come out of the Free Expression Tunnel. Clubs have free space to advertise, friends can wish their friends “happy birthday” and artists can display their artwork. When groups come together to paint, like the first year studio students who painted the tunnel in honor of the College of Design dean, there is a sense of community, both for the fact they are coming together to produce something and that the community at large will see it.

By requesting the University to shut down the Free Expression Tunnel, the protestors are endorsing the University to block others’ right to free speech, an issue which goes beyond the Free Expression Tunnel. While something may be offensive or a person may not agree, he or she should still have the ability to express it, just as the protestors did. We all have different opinions, but we also all have rights.