Casey Beasley-Bennett Holding his Letter to the Board of Education. Photo Taken by Kat Tabor.
LCC students say a recent Student Government Association letter urging removal of faculty union signs doesn’t reflect the views of the broader student body
By Kat Tabor
A recent letter sent to Lane Community College President Dr. Stephanie Bulger from the Student Government Association has prompted backlash and petitioning from students who say the statements do not represent the broader student body.
The Oct. 14 letter, titled “Request for Removal of Outdated Signage and Development of Posting Policy,” asked college leadership to remove “outdated protest signs” from the faculty union, the Lane Community College Education Association, and create a viewpoint-neutral signage policy. In the letter, SGA wrote that many of the existing faculty union signs have become weathered and exceed display time limits, creating “visual clutter.”
SGA, representing the larger student body, urged the college to establish consistent posting rules for yard signs, banners and other displays while maintaining free expression and accessibility standards.
LCC music and mathematics student Casey Beasley-Bennett said he disagrees with the SGA’s assessment. “I believe the statements made by the SGA in this letter do not adequately represent the viewpoint of the general student body as a whole,” he says, “and that most students would agree with the idea that the presence of the LCCEA signs on campus is in our best interest, as the union is fighting for many resources and causes that would improve the student experience.”
Beasley-Bennett said he first learned of the letter through a family member. “Honestly, I have a family member who works at Lane, so she basically told me what’s going on,” he said. “And also, I feel like every student should sort of know what’s going on right now, you know?”
He has since written his own letter and is gathering student signatures in opposition to the SGA’s stance. “I don’t think it reflects the student body. I don’t know who they talked to in order to create this statement, but I do not believe that it is reflective of the opinions of the student body as a whole,” Beasley-Bennett said. “I’m not affiliated with the union. These are all my own opinions.”
During the Nov. 5 board meeting, he announced that he had 38 signatures on his letter.
“The union’s current negotiations with the administration are very sort of critical to sort of combat some of the moves that they’re [the administration] making that I believe are sort of anti-student,” he says. “I think that part of the student government’s claims was they seem to be sort of implying that this is a faculty issue that should be kept to faculty. And I think that that is completely false.”
Beasley-Bennett read his letter alongside student Helen Liu at the Nov. 5 board meeting. Follow along for more coverage of the board at LCCtorch.com.
We have reached out to SGA for comment; this story may be updated.
