.The Pendulum
ELON, NORTH CAROLINA | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2011 | VOLUME 37, EDITION
30
www.elonpendulum.com
HYPOCRISY
EXPOSED
Pendulum staff questions sincerity behind
university *s pursuit of free speech
An editorial written by The Penduium
The guise of meaningful exchange
and public discourse has been ripped
away to expose Elon University’s true
priorities when it comes to free speech on
campus.
We’ve seen a special College Coffee,
discussions and forums, the creation
of a Speakers’ Corner and the Elon
administration make free speech and
the First Amendment rights of students
a matter of high importance. Yet in the
last week, the university administration
has bluntly put an end to this dialogue
by punishing a student for speaking
candidly about a serious campus
problem.
The Pendulum’s only wish is for the
Elon administration to stick to its own
word.
Smith Jackson, vice president and
dean of Student Life, spoke at this
month’s First Thursday Forum and said,
“Obviously we choose not to restrict free
speech on campus.”
Less than 24 hours later, Elon
sophomore Hilary Stevenson was sent an
email stating she could be charged with
violating the Elon Honor Code based on
her statements in last week’s edition of
The Pendulum. In the article, “As Tap
House thrives, security issues increase,”
Stevenson said she had a fake ID that
made it easy for her to drink underage.
Stevenson was offered the opportunity
to speak anonymously and chose to have
her name published. Her statement was
part of a larger story that focused on the
lack of security at this popular nightspot
and the prevalence of underage drinking
at the bar.
Despite Elon’s commitment to an open
exchange of information and students’
right to free speech, the administration
has hypocritically chosen to stifle the
student body’s voice through a blatant act
of censorship.
The Pendulum is a public forum that
encourages, supports and demands
honest dialogue from students, faculty
and staff. The administration’s decision
to pursue charges against one of our
sources is not only narrow-minded, but
also counterproductive to its overarching
goal to limit underage drinking.
Police cars from both Campus
Safety and Police and the Elon Police
Department were stationed outside of
Tap House Thursday, one of the bar’s
most popular nights. Before entering
the bar, students were given a new set of
rules, which included a new membership
requirement for entrance. These are
positive steps taken by the management
of Tap House and local law enforcement
agencies. Some may chalk it up to
coincidences, but we strongly believe
these changes are in direct response to
the recent Pendulum article.
It’s these positive changes the
university seems to not only ignore but
also devalue in its pursuit to punish
one student. If the university is truly
concerned with upholding the Honor
Code and curbing underage drinking,
then it would allow The Pendulum
to do its job without inference by
reprimanding students who choose to
speak candidly about important issues.
“If what you want is for people as
a community to come together and
talk frankly and honestly about what
problems exist and how tofix them,
then you have to recognize punishing
people who admit to violations that are
over and done with will actually result
in the perpetuating of the problem
you’re seeking to eliminate,” said Adam
Goldstein, attorney advocate at the
Student Press Law Center.
What is just as concerning is the lack
of comment from President Leo Lambert
on this sudden and hypocritical turn in
administrative policy, as a figure who has
been at the forefront of this semester’s
discussions.
If the university administration truly
cares and strives for free speech and an
open exchange of ideas, it must drop the
threat of charging students for partaking
in that exchange. We are a community
that must listen to one another, even
when that dialogue is one not necessarily
easy. The Elon administration has made a
grave mistake and The Pendulum will not
stand for it.
Elon must not create an environment
where students are scared of
repercussions and become unwilhng
to speak to The Pendulum or any other
news organization.
Elon administration has the
responsibility to respect the integrity of
those who choose to come forward as
fionesf participants in this so-called open
dialogue.
Student investigated for comment published in The Pendulum
Kassondra Cloos
News Editor
For the first time in Elon University’s
history, a student is facing a Student
Conduct investigation because of a
comment published in The Pendulum,
^ile there is no precedent, members
of the administration said it should not
come as a surprise.
In the Nov 30 edition of The Pendulum,
sophomore Hilary Stevenson was quoted
saying she possessed a fake ID and
had used it to drink while underage at
College Street Tap House. It wasn’t long
before she received an email from Jodean
Schmiederer, assistant dean of students,
telling her to set up a Student Conduct
meeting to address the admitted Honor
Code violations. Stevenson declined
anonymity when interviewed for the
article and would not comment on the
potential charges.
Smith Jackson, vice president and
dean Of Student Life, was not involved
in the decision to potentially charge
Stevenson. But he said he thinks students
should anticipate the consequences that
accompany attaching their names to such
charged statements. Instead, they should
more seriously consider remaining
anonymous.
“If students are violating policies or
laws, I think it’s certainly better for them
not to give their names or put themselves
in these situations,” Jackson said. “Would
the story have had a bigger impact for
me as a reader if you said ‘a sophomore
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