The director of student programming brought up First Amendment
concerns after the undergraduate student government proposed to
alter how it registers student groups.
Director Berky Nelson expressed concerns about infringing on
students’ constitutional free speech rights that might result
from changing the process of registering a student group.
“The last thing I would want to do is restrict freedom of
speech,” Nelson said, warning the councilmembers to proceed
with caution.
“According to the federal courts, anything goes, short of
clear and present danger,” he said.
Currently, registering a student group at the Center for Student
Programming is a relatively simple task, Nelson said. All a group
needs is three signatories and a statement of purpose to become
official.
As CSP allocates names on a first-come, first-serve basis,
students have the right to register their organization under any
name they want as long as it is available.
But, with the recent controversy involving students registering
student groups under already existing but unregistered slate and
coalition names, members of the Undergraduate Students Association
Council have expressed a desire for change in the office’s
policy which could affect students’ free speech rights.
Many councilmembers have also expressed concerns that existing
groups could be registered under new but illegitimate leadership
under the present policy.
“Something needs to happen,” USAC President David
Dahle said.
Dahle suggested implementing a system in which students, wishing
to register a group under a name previously used, obtain consent
from the group’s previous leaders to retain its
legitimacy.
But there could be a schism in the group, Nelson argued. In that
case, it would not be certain who would obtain the rights of the
name of the group.
With the additional paperwork a new policy could entail, Nelson
also warned of possible increased state involvement stemming from
potential controversies.
“If (the process) becomes too bureaucratic, it will be
difficult for students,” he said, cautioning councilmembers
to avoid getting caught in the “tentacles of the
state.”
Nelson brought up good points, said Internal Vice President T.J.
Cordero, who said he will be filing an official complaint with the
CSP this week to have the office review its policies.
But Cordero said he still didn’t have a clear idea of what
specifically should be done.
Council did not propose or vote on a course of action as of
yet.