New regulations have been put into place for this 2017-2018 academic year for the newly re-named DU Driscoll Wall—located outside the north end of the Driscoll Student Center near Driscoll Green. Formerly recognized as the Free Speech Wall, the regulations and handling procedures are meant to avoid a repeat offense like last year’s defacement of the wall.
In an “Intentions, Expectations and Procedures FAQ,” created by Campus Life and Inclusive Excellence (CLIE), the document states that students who want to post on the wall are required to completely paint over the previous message for, “editing/altering other’s posts is prohibited.” Posters are also required to supply their own paint and labor and must understand that no student will have their message on the wall for a set amount of time. It will follow a first come, first serve basis. There will be a weekly repainting on Thursdays in which the Driscoll Center will have student staff paint the walls white, “in order to provide equal opportunity of exposure.”
In the FAQ, it is “strongly encouraged” that posters, “‘own’ their sharing by including their name and affiliate org or office, if not clear from the post itself.”
The document also reminds students that the DU Honor Code and Code of Student Conduct applies to behavior at, or on, the wall.
To monitor violators of these guidelines, CLIE staff will check the wall each weekday, there is a security camera installed for wall surveillance and CLIE encourages that students, “support one another in using it responsibly, whether by planning engaging posts, responding to posts constructively, and/or reporting violations and/or concerns.”
In regards to the frequency that the security camera will be reviewed, Director of the Inclusion and Equity Education Division of CLIE, Thomas Walker, said, “Footage of the Green is only reviewed after the fact if there is a specific safety or policy need; it’s not usually live monitored.”
Despite the new regulations and the installation of the camera, students will have, to an extent, anonymity since there is no reserving space, no content review or approvals.
“When Undergraduate Student Government (USG) created the space, their intent was for more positive engagement of our community, not anonymous trolling of campus,” said Walker.
Last year, the Faculty Senate passed a resolution for Faculty Senate, Graduate Student Government, Staff Advisory Council and USG to create a joint committee dedicated to discussing the wall.
“The eventual recommendations regarding overall policies and procedures for the wall will be sent to senior level leadership at our university and to CLIE,” said USG student body president, Morgan Smith, “It’s an exciting time to see our university’s representative bodies to work together on this issue.”
Smith wants students to still feel welcomed to use the wall as a resource. “The wall is still a space on our campus to share what’s going on. Students should feel excited to share their events, organizations, and art.”
The FAQ states the purpose of the wall is “to inform and engage, and to celebrate and educate our campus community about coming events and current issues.” It is recommended that students “consider how [their] posting reflects University values, and furthers learning and community for all.”
