Where’s all the sidewalk chalk?

For the past couple of years, and probably before many of us even came to Iowa State, chalking has been a point of contention for students. On the one hand is the first amendment and the right to freedom of speech that is championed by public universities. On the other hand is a rapidly changing society that has reconstructed the rules for what is politically correct. 

Whether you agree or disagree with the idea of political correctness, it does affect all of us and how society views much of what we choose to express or not to express. At that same time, we are all unique individuals with our own beliefs and opinions, and as Americans, we deeply cherish our right to express those perspectives.

The Editorial Board, as a member of the press and media, strongly supports the First Amendment and its guarantee to the right of free speech. Those opinions with which we agree and disagree are the foundation of public discourse, and the right to express them should be protected.

Chalking, then, is an important tool on college campuses for students to present their ideas to each other and create that discourse. Iowa State should encourage students to share their opinions through the generally harmless act of chalking. 

And for the most part, Iowa State has done that. Less a brief policy last year where the university all but banned chalking, Iowa State now only restricts chalking to those places that won’t affect the beauty of historical Central Campus. Though a little silly, the policy is reasonable and can be found in its entirety online or in the library.

The Editorial Board strongly supports students’ right to chalk across campus while also recognizing the need to address both hate speech as well as legal but hateful speech. 

When done well, chalking can be a great method of inciting discussion amongst the entire student body at Iowa State. As a battleground state and the site of the first primaries, Iowa sits in a unique political position and affords Cyclones the unique opportunity to be at the forefront of the exchange of ideas.

When done poorly, chalking can cause great tension across campus. It can alienate individuals and give outsiders an inaccurate impression of the welcoming community Iowa State is. 

To be very clear, the Editorial Board condemns all hate speech, whether that be chalk or any other form. We also condemn — but recognize — the right to hateful speech that, while legal, does nothing to further discourse on even the most agreeable of topics. If you are confused about what hate speech is versus protected speech, do a quick search. Though there are still many questions, there is also much precedent on the matter. 

Do not confuse our condemnation of hate and unproductive hateful speech with a condemnation of ideas we disagree with. We fully support the expression of opposing ideas, especially in the medium of chalking.

Understand, though, that chalking isn’t some extreme expression of ideals. You are literally smearing colored minerals onto the concrete that people walk over. You aren’t a hero. With that said, get to smearing some colored minerals on the sidewalk! What a fun and easy way to share your opinion.

While the current policy does forbid altering or erasing someone else’s chalk, which the Editorial Board strongly disagrees with, get creative with chalking interactions. We are in the middle of one of the most contentious and polarizing elections in American history, and campus sidewalks have been all but perfectly clean. 

We are not trying to incite a “chalking war,” but a college campus in a battleground state in 2020 should definitely be expressing a multitude of opinions. So get out there and have those conversations. It’s too easy to blame universities for stifling free speech if you don’t even try to exercise your rights. 

Just try to be productive and legal in how you do it. Breaking the law is clearly wrong, but chalking something hateful is at the very least unproductive. Not only will it probably not convince people to agree with you, it might actually drive them further into their convictions.