Coulter visit prompts forum on civility, tolerance 3/29/06

Loyola's campus has been buzzing with controversy since Ann Coulter's speech on Thursday. In response to the event and the behavior displayed by the audience, Fr. Richard Salmi, vice president of student affairs, invited students to a forum on civility and tolerance in the Centennial Forum Student Union Monday, March 27.

"I feel like we need to talk about the event and converse with one another," Salmi said. "It's unfortunate for the academic community that there could not be a civil discourse with someone even though we might disagree."

Jack McLean, director of student leadership development, began the forum by stating that it was to be a place where issues of civility and tolerance relating to Thursday's events could peaceably be addressed. Salmi then spoke about the university policy on guest speakers.

"A speaker will be prohibited if there is a likelihood of disruption, personal injury or property damage," Salmi said. "We did not deem that these things would happen because of Ann Coulter speaking here."

Salmi shared some of the e-mails he has received since the event, which contained a variety of opinions. Four students and administrators then addressed civility and tolerance relating to Thursday night.

President of the College Republicans junior Laszlo Varju stated his embarrassment at the behavior of students during Coulter's speech and thanked his fellow College Republicans for their mature response to the incident. He stressed his support for the peaceful protest on Halas Field, but condemned the silent protest held inside the event, as well as those who disrupted the speech by yelling.

"The protestors were out of order with guidelines, security and protection measures that were established for the event," Varju said.

Varju said he was encouraged by the debate on campus before Coulter's speech, but was ashamed that the actions of some of the protestors made a mockery of the intellectual student debate.

Senior Matt Johnson, JUSTICE vice president of Unified Student Government also represented the Loyola Student Coalition Against Bigotry, an organization that was formed after the announcement that Coulter would speak on campus. Johnson helped to organize the protest on Halas Field and during Coulter's speech. Johnson said that this is not an issue of liberals versus conservatives, but an issue for everyone because it involves hate speech and Jesuit values.

"The [silent protest] was designed to peaceably create an environment of dissent," Johnson said, adding that the protestors were removed in an unnecessary and violent way by security officials. He emphasized that protestors were not encouraged to yell or be violent. Johnson said the administration should issue a formal apology for the way students were treated in the event, and for allowing Coulter to speak.

Senior Amee Ramirez from student diversity said she found Coulter to be intolerant, but she also found the audience to be just as intolerant. Ramirez said she was ashamed to be represented by her peers in the audience.

The final speaker was Kevin Huie, the director of the office of student diversity. Huie said he felt that the community should move on from this divisive event.

"It's up to everybody here to take responsibility to represent Loyola's identity and mission," Huie said to the audience, which had grown to more than 150 people.

The floor was then opened to speakers from the audience to express their opinions on the matter. McLean encouraged speakers to keep civility and tolerance in mind while addressing the audience.

A graduate student of sociology stood up to defend students who he felt had been blamed for the chaos of the event. He also addressed the issue of the security officers and their actions at the event.

"The security force was unprepared with little knowledge of the rules of the situation," he said. "They used coercion and intimidation against peaceful protestors."

Freshman Kate Graham emphasized that there should be a distinction made between the silent protestors who were within their rights and the hecklers in the crowd. She called the use of force by security to remove the protestors gross and excessive.

"Most importantly," Graham said, "some dissenters now feel unsafe on this campus because they've expressed views that are different."

There was also discussion by audience members about the expectations the university has for its students compared to the expectations it has for speakers. Students questioned why Coulter's intolerant behavior was allowed on a campus that prides itself on accepting differences and diversity. One student expressed her pride at learning how her fellow students defended their peers by protesting within the event.

Sophomore Allison Trautman, a member of College Republicans, defended Coulter's right to speak and added that there should be no apology because she was exercising her freedom of speech. She also spoke of the harassment she has experienced because of her involvement with both the group and the event.

"My views are not being tolerated," Trautman said.

Another College Republican, freshman Amanda Bon Sutto, also spoke of harassment by her fellow students because of her known affiliation with the College Republicans. She defended herself and fellow Republicans as being tolerant individuals, which people have tried to claim that they are not.

"People need to see both sides of the argument," Bon Sutto said.

Some suggested that the administration should continue this type of open forum to encourage students of all groups to establish rules that are acceptable to the community for speakers and other campus events.

Many audience members' hands were still in the air when McLean ended the forum at 5 p.m. Many attendees stayed to continue the discussion.

"I think it went really well," junior Sarah Marie Coogan, a member of the Loyola Students Coalition Against Bigotry, said. "This shows that people can discuss this in a valid, coherent and intelligent way."

The opinions of many other audience members emphasized the general belief that the forum was successful, but only as a starting point to help heal the divisions felt throughout the community of the university.