The Flag at UCI
The Los Angeles Times reports:
In a push for what has been described as cultural inclusion, the student government at UC Irvine has voted to ban the display of all flags -- including the American flag -- in an area of the campus.
A resolution adopted Thursday by the legislative council of the campus' Associated Students calls for removing all flags from the common lobby area of student government offices.
Written by student Matthew Guevara of the School of Social Ecology, the resolution states: "The American flag has been flown in instances of colonialism and imperialism" and notes that flags "construct paradigms of conformity and sets homogenized standards."
The resolution goes on to say that "freedom of speech, in a space that aims to be as inclusive as possible, can be interpreted as hate speech." [emphasis added]
The resolution passed on a 6-4 vote by the student legislative council, with two abstentions.
The resolution "is not endorsed or supported in any way by the campus leadership," according to a statement on UCI's website written by Associated Students President Reza Zomorrodian.
The measure is likely to be short-lived, however.
The student government's five-person executive cabinet is expected to meet Saturday to vote on a motion to veto the resolution, the statement said.
The Times follows up:
A five-member executive cabinet overseeing UC Irvine's student government on Saturday vetoed a decision to ban the display of all flags, including the American flag.
“We fundamentally disagree with the actions taken by ASUCI Legislative Council and their passage of [the ban] as counter to the ideals that allow us to operate as an autonomous student government organization with the freedoms of speech and expression associated with it,” the cabinet said in a prepared statement.
A five-member executive cabinet overseeing UC Irvine's student government on Saturday vetoed a decision to ban the display of all flags, including the American flag.
“It is these very symbols that represent our constitutional rights… and our ability to openly debate all ranges of issues and pay tribute to how those liberties were attained.”
