The following piece is an opinion and does not reflect the views of The Eagle and its staff. All opinions are edited for grammar, style and argument structure and fact-checked, but the opinions are the writer’s own.
Just two months before former American University President Sylvia Burwell’s departure, the student government voted to declare no confidence in Burwell over a “series of decisions that have consistently undermined student advocacy and failed to transparently engage with student and faculty concerns.” Less than three months into his presidency, President Jonathan Alger has already begun repeating the previous president’s mistakes, namely with his updates to AU’s free expression policies.
On Aug. 13, an email was sent to the University community on draft policies, which came into effect on Aug. 30. These were new policies on Outdoor Chalking, Tabling and Posting Materials on campus — all of which were originally drawn into question during following the Fall 2024 protests. Students have made their opposition to restrictive freedom of expression policies abundantly clear in every available forum, including on Alger’s first official visit to campus when students welcomed him by protesting free expression restrictions and in school-sponsored discussions. Alger’s administration is, as Burwell’s was, aware that the student body does not support tightening free expression rules — yet they chose to continue Burwell’s mistakes.
AU prides itself on being a community that “steps up to take on issues and make an impact,” but its administration refuses to support on-campus efforts for change. Alger’s new chalking policy states that students and registered organizations may only use water-dissolvable chalk in specifically approved places on campus, with slogans administration deems non-threatening, or lewd. The new tabling policy is similarly only available to registered or approved student organizations, while “unrecognized student organizations or clubs are not eligible to serve as a host.” Per the posting materials policy revised under Alger, materials may only be posted on designated bulletin boards if approved by the University.
These policies may seem, though an escalation from pre-2023 rules, relatively run-of-the-mill — but they, in fact, make protesting fully university-controlled and they may disproportionately impact certain student groups like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). Last semester, SJP was placed on probation — meaning under these new policies, if SJP is stripped of its position as a registered student organization by the university administration, they cannot table, chalk or engage in organized protest. Apart from this specific issue of suppression, Alger’s new policies also further strip AU students of their ability to protest freely.
You can absolutely protest — in the box that the university has provided for you. You can post materials on designated bulletin boards only if the university approves them. You can participate in chalking where the university has predetermined you can.
The student body has made its disdain for restrictions on freedom of expression abundantly clear through the student government vote last semester, where, in a student-wide vote, 77 percent of students agreed the policy restricting poster hanging should be rescinded.
The AU community, and certainly I, want Alger to succeed — we are absolutely rooting for him. Part of his success, though, is going to be through questioning, not participating in and changing the status quo of misled policies of the Burwell administration. A university truly committed to a “Change Can’t Wait” initiative ought to encourage, not repress, how its students choose to affect that change.
Julia Cooper is a junior in the School of International Service and College of Arts and Sciences and a columnist for The Eagle.
This article was edited by Alana Parker, Rebeca Samano Arellano and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks and Ella Rousseau.
