The University of South Dakota appears to be reassessing its actions after deeming a student organization’s Hawaiian luau-themed party “insensitive.”
Last month, the Student Bar Association of the USD School of Law was told by law school administrators that its upcoming “Hawaiian Day” social event violated the school’s policy on inclusiveness. The club was forced to change the name of the party to “Beach Day” and sent out a follow-up email with the new information.
This was not good enough for the administrators, who forced the group to send yet another message, advising attendees that leis would not be distributed at the party for fear of cultural appropriation.
“It was determined that these are culturally insensitive by the administration after doing research based off of the essay written by the initial complainant,” the message said.
Oddly enough, it was still OK for students to wear leis at the party (they were not told otherwise by officials).
The school’s reaction was prompted by a complaint from a student who was concerned about the group’s use of indigenous cultural symbols. He or she wrote an essay to the administration, detailing his or her concerns. It’s unclear whether the student was actually of indigenous descent or just another social justice warrior trying to ruin everyone’s fun.
Now the university is investigating whether the organizers’ First Amendment rights were actually violated by the law school administrators in the process, according to a statement from university president Sheila Gestring.
“Administrative censorship of student speech and expression is a serious matter and not something USD condones without compelling justification consistent with board policy, such as a genuine threat,” Gestring said in her statement. “Free expression and a fierce dedication to an open marketplace of ideas is at the very heart of USD’s foundation as a liberal arts university.”
If the investigation finds that the administration was in the wrong, it could be a major setback for social justice warriors on campuses throughout the nation, and rightfully so. The college campus should be a safe space for free speech — not a sanctuary for political correctness.
Brendan Pringle (@BrendanPringle) is a writer from California. He is a National Journalism Center graduate and formerly served as a development officer for Young America’s Foundation at the Reagan Ranch.
