San Diego State University students Cameron Box and Connor Fenwick were proud to express themselves by displaying the American and military flags from their residence hall balcony. But now they may be expelled for it.
ABC affiliate KGTV spoke with Box, who is a sophomore and active duty member in the Coast Guard, and Fenwick, who is a junior and an aspiring U.S. Army officer.
While Box and Fenwick wished to display the flags as a matter of expression, the university argued that it poses a safety threat.
According to the SDSU living agreement, “no items, except patio furniture designed for outdoor use, may be placed on balconies and patios. Hangings, partitions, or curtains of any type may not be used on balconies or patios.”
Fenwick believes that he may have a way around that, however:
In a dictionary, furniture is commonly defined as “movable articles, as tables, chairs, desks or cabinets, required for use or ornament in a house, office, or the like.”
I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t say a flag is not designed for outdoor use.
He also questioned “why can’t we have our First Amendment rights?”
The school doesn’t see it that way though, and a letter to Box and Fenwick mentioned that, while they have been officially warned for now, they “may be expelled, suspended, placed on probation, or given a lesser sanction.”
Campus Reform spoke to Beth Chee, Media Relations Manager at SDSU, who emphasized safety:
She also mentioned that the “variety of reasons,” includes “aesthetics.”
Fenwick doesn’t believe such claims. Rather, he thinks it’s that the university “lacks the moral backbone to support cases such as mine and is too lazy to deal with other students who may take offense to a flag being portrayed in a residential setting.”
In that case then, the university is playing to the politically correct population at the university who may be offended by military flags or even the American flag.
And while the students are willing to appeal the decision, if they lose they do plan on taking down the flags so as to not lose their scholarships. Box and Fenwick will then have to choose affording an education over their patriotism.
There is a petition on Change.org contesting the policy, which 210 people have signed as of Wednesday afternoon. The petition is addressed to SDSU administrators, Governor Jerry Brown, and Sen. Diane Feinstein.
