NC State’s unique campus landmark, the Free Expression Tunnel, like free expression itself, is no stranger to controversy. Nevertheless, the overblown controversy of 2010 seemed to endanger the tunnel for good.
NC State students, however, sensibly support the Free Expression Tunnel, good and bad. (Dear NC State diversityniks desirous of becoming speech police: choke on that.) Technician reports:
A majority of students who completed the survey [sent by Student Government] agreed that they were not in favor of the formation of a student group for the Tunnel.
For some students like Candy Thomson, a sophomore in animal science who completed the survey, having a group would take control of managing the tunnel out of the students’ hands.
“The tunnel is about free expression,” Thomson said, “it would be silly to have someone in charge over it.”
Gaivorlor Borbor , a junior in electrical and computer engineering, said he believes that students should take charge of the tunnel themselves.
“If students don’t like what they see,” Borbor said, “they can paint over it or not look at it. Having a student group would be weird.” …
Student government announced they would not create a committee to paint over offensive words and images in the tunnel, but that students could. “It’s the free expression tunnel,” [freshman Adam] Cheeks said. “I’m a Christian and there’s stuff that’s offensive to me all the time, but I’m not writing over it.”
Technician’s editors wrote:
Due to the nature of the tunnel, students have always had the freedom to paint it themselves. They can use their own funds to buy paint and take their own time to make a statement, if they feel it needs to be done.
The Free Expression Tunnel is long-standing tradition that has lasted through the 40 years of changing times. Our alumni painted the tunnel in their youth and probably wrote similar things to us. Now, the Free Expression Tunnel has been quiet since the incident in November and the discussions have subsided since the Winter Break. This shows that students have control of the tunnel, whether they realize it or not. An organized group isn’t necessary to give students this power.