News
Campus chalk messages defaced
The Pointer
ewalk386@uwsp.edu
Last week Monday, the Pointers for Life messages left on the sidewalks were defaced within hours of being written.
The messages from the Pointers For Life include, "There are 3,470 abortions every day in the U.S.," "There are over 2,000,000 couples waiting for adoptions every year in the U.S.," "Abortion stops a beating heart," "Valuing life is not weakness, and disregarding it is not strength" from the movie "The Incredibles," and "A person's a person no matter how small," from a Dr. Seuss book.
'Any other comments or phrases that were chalked were not done by us or anybody affiliated with us. We do not support these statements and find them very offensive to women. We try to do as little controversial demonstrations as possible. But our main goal is just to spread the message of life and love," said Mathew Peeters, president of Pointers for Life.
"It's one thing to state what you believe but it's another thing to be crude about it," said Lindsey Friesen, UWSP student.
Like many students, Friesen was outraged with the messages.
"Not only is it offensive to me as a woman that anyone feels they have the right to tell me what to do with my body, but I feel that what has been written this time is way over the line and is probably offensive to many people whether they are pro-choice or not. It's just very degrading to women and whoever wrote it ought to be ashamed of themselves," said Friesen.
The degrading chalking was reported to Protective Services and an investigation may take place. What is to be done about the defaced messages is unknown at this time.
"Regardless of where a person stands on the content of the message the fact that someone thought they could deface someone else's expression because they didn't agree with it is unacceptable," said Bob Tomlinson, vice chancellor for Student Affairs. "There's nothing wrong with disagreeing with somebody but when you deface the message, what gives that individual the right to trample on somebody else's freedom of expression rights? Whether we agree or disagree with the content of the message, the right to express it has always got to be protected here."
If Protective Services decides to pursue an investigation and a guilty party is found they will most likely be sent to the Rights and Responsibilities Board for punishment and behavior adjustment.
There is no current chalking policy, but reserving a space on the sidewalk is accepted for organizations or other reasons to express one's beliefs or to inform the student body of an event.
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