Chalking debate draws back

As one of his last acts as president of the Student Government Association, Bill McGourik vetoed the policy on chalking, leaving Georgia College & State University with no chalking requirements.

According to Keith Woodruff, current SGA president, the policy proposal specified a registering process where students, departments or organizations would have to register each time they wanted to chalk.

“It also stipulated a lengthy list of prohibited surfaces. It prohibited speech deemed offensive by the director of Student Activities,” Woodruff said. “It stipulated that chalking must be cleaned up within five days and that violations of policy will result in suspension of the violator’s right to chalk.”

Woodruff recommended if students would like to keep their chalking freedoms, they should “limit their chalking to concrete walking surfaces.”

However, the student services committee is preparing a new resolution for this year.

“(This proposal would aim to prevent unwanted chalking and not chalking by students, RSO’s chalking, or departments.) The RSO’s (Registered Student Organization) would be required to sign an agreement upon registering for RSO status that would stipulate chalking recommendations,” Woodruff said. “There would be no further paperwork unless an RSO is responsible for offensive chalking or unwanted chalking such as on planters, walls, or in places that students sit.”

Former Senator Joey Villemez proposed Resolution #22 to the senate. University Student Council (USC) passed the resolution with 15 approving, three opposing and two abstaining. This resolution was submitted because several individuals realized that chalking on certain surfaces has become a problem at GC&SU. It was also proposed that USC would form a posting policy committee of two representatives. These representatives would provide suggestions and discuss the policy. This committee’s intent was to “alleviate the problems in chalking at GC&SU.”

The Senate passed the chalking policy (Resolution # 22) on April 24, 2001, with a majority of 9:7 and six abstaining. McGourik vetoed it shortly afterwards.

“He vetoed it, because he felt it was not implementable. It put a heavy burden on the Office of Student Activities. In that form, the chalking policy would be unenforceable,” Woodruff said. “It called for a registration each time the organization wanted to chalk. I am against almost any issue that limits a student’s freedom of speech.”

Woodruff agrees with the actions of the former president and said “until Student Government acts, there will be no change.”

“(The proposed resolution) stipulated restrictions on the academic departments. It can even suspend a department’s right to chalk! I am not prepared to sign anything that makes academics beholden to activities,” he said.

Woodruff also pointed out that the proposed resolution lacked organization.

“My position is closely in line with President McGourik’s. Everyone knows that the majority of chalking is done late at night. This policy does not provide a means for these ‘late-night chalkers’ to register unless they come hours before and during the day.

“This would be a highly inefficient process, unless we are trying to prevent chalking altogether,” Woodruff said.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Oct 4 2002. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry