The Free Expression Tunnel

The real value of the Free Expression Tunnel is that it is an icon. It is the embodiment of free speech, a place where we can air our thoughts openly….And it’s a place where frustrations are aired even when those frustrations take on the most negative tones. But here’s the reality: the Free Expression Tunnel is us. What we say and do there says as much about us as the clothes we wear, the ethics we live by and the politics we practice. The question for all of us is are we going to practice the politics of hate and destruction, or are we going to be a force for respectful dialog even where there are differences of opinion? 

stated Chancellor Randy Woodson on November 2, 2010, two days after a sexually explicit depiction of Former President Barack Obama with racist comments was painted on the wall. Woodson then followed these sentences affirming that these expressions represent NC State. However, he also asked members of the university whether they are going to continue posting hateful messages or have respectful dialogue. As Woodson stated, the tunnel is indeed “an icon,” but the 2010 issue is nothing new. 

In 1926, the Pullen Literary Society, a student organization, debated whether university faculty should censor the Technician. Some argued that the freedom students had to publish what they liked led to articles that contradicted the college’s values. And at times the articles could lead to a student’s expulsion. Other students argued that censoring was a violation of the first amendment. They also argued that since students fund and run the newspaper, regulation would mean that the faculty did not trust the students. At the end of the debate, the Society judges unanimously decided not to censor the paper. 

About forty years later discussion on free speech moved from paper to paint. In October 1967 NC State’s student government passed a recommendation that allowed painting on the surfaces inside the tunnel. Landscape and Design Professor Randy Hester introduced the “Student Visual Expression” recommendation, and the School of Physical Sciences and Applied Mathematics’ Senator, Sandra Sharpe co-sponsored the recommendation. The document was in response to the scarcity of school traditions and to contain student’s graffiti. Already, students were painting in the tunnels, and the bill allowed students to continue to paint, but only in one tunnel. A month after the bill passed, the Welfare Committee of Student Government hosted a paint-in for students to decorate the walls and ceiling. The committee was responsible for cleaning the tunnel and maintaining the rules of the tunnel. In December 1967, the three rules of the tunnel were publicized in the Technician. 

1. Painting was relegated to the inside of the tunnel. 
2. “Any use of obscenity or vulgarity will be considered as ‘ungentlemanly conduct’ and a Campus Code offense”
3. “Untasteful remarks” will be removed. The painter or the Student Government will pay for the removal.

In the 1960s, free speech was a major issue on campuses across the nation. Three years before the Free Expression Tunnel, University of California, Berkeley students protested the university for forbidding on-campus political activities. Thousands of students participated in demonstrations demanding free speech and academic freedom. The movement continued as discontent about the Vietnam War persisted. Although nothing to the magnitude of the Free Speech Movement at NC State, students voiced their opinions about the Vietnam War in all media, including the tunnel. For example, messages criticizing former presidents Lydon Johnson and Richard Nixon were written on the walls. 

As the tunnel became further entrenched in NC State’s culture and landscape, members of the community identified a conundrum about freedom of speech in a college setting. One year into the tunnel’s establishment, students were questioning the definition of free expression, censorship, and their role on campus because of paintings regarding the Vietnam War. More specifically, at the end of October 1968, writers of the student newspaper, Voices, advocated that the newspaper was a better medium of expression than the tunnel. Their reasoning was that print was more credible than paint, since they saw the tunnel as a medium for students to vent their opinions.

The tunnel came under question again in 1981, after homophobic comments were written on top of Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender organization’s meeting information. Student, Henry L. Trevathan asked, “Certainly all students, racists and bigots, have the same right to express their opinions and remarks. However, does this right extend to the point of denying other students information and placing injurious remarks over messages?” Homophobic comments appeared in the tunnel again in 1995 on Coming Out Day, after members of Lesbian and Gay Student Union (LGSU) painted the whole tunnel in celebration. As LGSU member, Kevin Neaves stated, "We don't want to infringe upon anyone's right to free speech. We just want respect." 

Since 2011, NC State has hosted "Respect the Pack", which is an event during Wolfpack Welcome Week. At the event students learn about the diversity of the campus, the importance of embracing diversity, and write inclusive messages in the tunnel. The event is a step to promote open dialogue and a safe environment that would be carried to the classroom, the dorms, and in paint.

References

Original Source References

North Carolina State Special Collections Resource Center: 

Technician

North Carolina State University, Division of Student Affairs, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Records, 1889-2008. UA016.001 Box 72.

North Carolina State University, Division of Student Affairs, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Records, 1926-2012. UA016.005. Box 25. 

North Carolina State University, Student and Other Organizations, Student Government Records 1905-2017. UA21.502 Box 4.

Woodson, Randy. "Statement from the Chancellor". North Carolina State University. November 2, 2010. https://leadership.ncsu.edu/2010/11/02/november-2-2010-statement-from-the-chancellor/

NC State on Free Speech

Secondary Source References

Ben-Porath, Sigal R. Free Speech on Campus. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2017.

Chemerinsky, Erwin and Howard Gilman. Free Speech on Campus. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2017.

Golding, Martin P. Free Speech on Campus. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2000.

Packard, Emily. "A Matter of Respect". North Carolina State University News. August 23, 2016.

Peeler, Tim. “Campus Tunnel Marks 50 Years of Free Speech”. North Carolina State University News. December 13, 2017 https://news.ncsu.edu/2017/12/campus-tunnel-marks-50-years-of-free-speech/

Rylas, Jimmy. "Students Vow to 'Respect the Pack'". North Carolina State University News. August 15, 2012.https://news.ncsu.edu/2012/08/respect-the-pack/

The Free Speech Movement: Reflections on Berkeley in the 1960s. Edited by Robert Cohen and Reginald E. Zelnik. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002.