Harvard professors protest protest restrictions—with chalk

5 Harvard College professors wielded chalk on campus Tuesday in protest of the establishment’s new coverage banning chalking and different expressive actions.  

Ryan Enos, a tenured authorities professor who took half, instructed Inside Increased Ed that the professors wrote messages like “Why does a preschool have extra tutorial freedom than Harvard?” and “I really like puppies,” accompanied by hearts, on the pavement in entrance of the statue of John Harvard, a benefactor after whom the college was finally named.

Steve Levitsky, one other tenured authorities professor, mentioned he wrote, “Welcome again college students: Ask why chalking is banned.” In an e mail, Levitsky known as it “a easy act of civil disobedience” to protest guidelines that “for my part, go too far in limiting college students’ free expression.” 

Enos mentioned the chalking was an try to name consideration to the brand new restrictions “and encourage college students and school to talk up about what we see as a restriction on one thing that needs to be a core a part of what goes on at a college.” That one thing, Enos mentioned, is free expression.

In keeping with The Harvard Crimson, the college rolled out its new Campus Use Guidelines, which additionally forestall tenting and different demonstration techniques, in August. The coverage is a part of a development of faculties and universities including restrictions on expressive actions in forward of the autumn semester, within the wake of final 12 months’s pro-Palestinian encampments. Harvard’s new guidelines say individuals can’t “chalk, paint, engrave or in any other case write or draw on any college property with out prior written approval from the related native contact.”

The coverage doesn’t outline what “native contact” means, and Harvard spokespeople didn’t clarify the time period to Inside Increased Ed Thursday or say whether or not the professors have been being punished. “A problem was reported and addressed in accordance with regular protocols,” spokesman Jonathan Palumbo mentioned in an e mail. Enos mentioned he hasn’t heard from college officers about any punishment or investigations.