Follow Up: Students ask administration for apology after last week’s demonstration

Mechelle Hankerson
News Editor

VCU administrators met with students Tuesday night to discuss what to do in the aftermath of displays from an anti-abortion group on campus last week.

Associate vice provost for Student Affairs Charles Klink, dean of Student Affairs Reuban Rodriguez and director of the University Commons, Tim Reed asked students what they thought the university could do to address their concerns and complaints.

Ultimately, students suggested that they would appreciate some sort of statement from the administration.

Last Wednesday and Thursday, a national anti-abortion group, the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform came to VCU to demonstrate with a display that featured comparisons of abortion to historical genocides and photos that the group claimed to be pictures of abortion.

Many students claimed the photos were not accurate, in addition to objecting to the offensive nature of the whole display.

Freshman Amber McNeal organized a protest on Facebook during the second day of the Genocide Awareness Project’s demonstration at VCU.

McNeal told the administrators at Tuesday’s forum that she thought nothing short of an apology would be acceptable.

“It may seem inappropriate, but I would like for it to be an apology … to anyone who was triggered or found it morally offensive,” she said.

Vicki Yeroian said she stood outside protesting the display for four hours because of the misuse of the word “genocide” in the display. Yeroian said she is Armenian-American, and even if VCU does not issue an apology, she said she thinks the university should address the inaccuracies many students took issue with in the Genocide Awareness Project’s display.

“Regardless of the stance VCU takes on that demonstration, I really think its absolutely necessary that VCU comes out with something that lets people of ethnic groups that have been (victims of genocide) that lets them know … that there (was) some misinformation about genocide,” she said during the forum.

In addition to listening to students’ suggestions following the demonstration, administrators addressed concerns regarding the university’s demonstration policy.

According to Reed, VCU’s policy for on-campus demonstrations hasn’t been revised since November of 1990.

At VCU, there must be designated areas for anyone to exercise First Amendment rights. The university can control some things – like time, place and manner – but can’t do much about a demonstration’s content, Reed said.

Students however, wanted more explanation that the university’s explanation of how the First Amendment applied to demonstration policies.

Senior Jara Connell told administrators she wanted more explanation than what was given to her.

“I don’t understand why (the First Amendment) is the only response from the administration,” she said. “That’s the easiest one, certainly, and it’s an important one, but its not the only issue at hand. This issue isn’t only about free speech, this is about a students right to attend class (at) their university, feeling safe the whole time.”

Connell and other students said they felt as though the display targeted specific groups of students and was overly offensive because of its graphic nature and bold comparisons to historical genocides.

“I think its important that we protect students right to free speech, but I also think its important that VCU protect female-bodied students’ right to walk to class without being equated to Nazis in Germany for making personal health decisions,” Connell said, referencing the display’s comparison of abortion to the Holocaust. “That’s not in the constitution, but tons of VCU regulations are not in the Constitution.”

Reed, Rodriguez and Klink made no commitment to students at the forum that the university would make a statement or issue an apology.