It is a great shame that the University residence halls have thought it necessary to censor its students. I am responding to the issue raised in the Feb. 22 article questioning freedom of expression at Allen Hall. Learning at this University should not be limited to the classroom, but should be a process that occurs on all University properties all day, everyday. Some residence hall officials need to read John Stuart Mill’s famous “On Liberty,” in which he makes a claim that freedom of speech should never be infringed except in the case where someone can be harmed. The situation at Allen Hall was not harmful. It may have been offensive, but Mill would respond by saying that it is good to be offended. The debate and deliberation that follow from such things are how we grow as a community and as a society. It is a tragedy that residence hall officials thought that it would be better to remove the item than discuss and learn from what it had to say. In a culture that is wrought with political correctness, this is a prime example of the morals of a few being imposed on everyone else. Infringing on the freedom of speech is wrong and, at a place of higher learning, it should never occur. The passing the buck by the residence life officials and their failure to comment is indicative of a system that has lost touch with its primary goal. I challenge the University to re-examine how hall staff treat their residents. This is a travesty that should not and cannot be tolerated by an institution of this quality and prestige. The freedom to express ourselves is a basic human right and living in residence halls does not mean we forgo those rights.

Jeff Rauch

junior in LAS