Nearly a year after an anti-war protest held by Students for a Democratic Society sparked a free speech controversy at Ohio University, students may finally be getting the change they have fought for.
Within the next two weeks, the Policy and Procedure Review Committee, composed of faculty and administrators, will decide whether to pass a revised version of the Use of Outdoor Space policy. The proposed version was developed by Kent Smith, vice president for student affairs, and the Free Speech Committee, composed of Graduate Student and Student Senate members.
I feel that we have a good chance of the revised policy being passed
Smith said in an e-mail.
Under the committee's proposed policy, groups must still reserve certain zones around campus, such as Emeriti Park and the Civil War monument on College Green. These zones are commonly referred to as free speech zones but the university does not use this phrase.
But unlike the current policy, the proposed version allows any group ' not just registered student organizations ' to reserve these spaces. The proposed policy would also allow free speech anywhere on campus, even outside of registered areas, said Dominic Barbato, president of Graduate Student Senate and a member of the Free Speech
Committee.- he said.
The most important aspect of the revised version is that we are opening all reservable spaces on campus to all groups
whether they are affiliated or not with Ohio University
Smith said in the e-mail.
According to the proposed policy, student organizations would get first priority in registration beginning May 1 and could register these spaces up to one year in advance. Outside groups could also register up to one year in advance, but would begin registration Aug. 1.
The Free Speech Committee began examining the Use of Outdoor Space policy in February. Since March, it has revised its free speech policy weekly and has heard hundreds of hours of student input
said Drew Pusateri, graduate student senator for the College of Education and member of the Free Speech Committee.
After submitting its finalized policy to Smith in May, the committee reconvened this fall and met with Smith to discuss its proposed Use of Outdoor Space policy.
Smith used the committee's proposal as a guideline for the policy currently being reviewed.
There was so much talk about shared governances last year
but he (Smith) has definitely shown that he has made students and their rights a priority
said Amanda Roder, vice president of Student Senate and a member of the Free Speech Committee.
Roder added that she hopes the new policy will be implemented by spring, in time for Student Senate elections.
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