Following an athletic department announcement at the beginning of the year banning signs from sporting events, University students staged a protest against the policy at Saturday’s football game.
An e-mail was sent to ‘Hoo Crew members early Friday morning containing a message from an anonymous source urging students to participate.
“As many of you have heard,” the message read, “The Athletic Department recently instituted a sign prohibition for all athletic events. This announcement has recently garnered national attention portraying U.Va. in a very negative light. Many are outraged. We ask that you be a part of the solution.”
Several locations around Grounds were listed where blank sheets of paper would be distributed to students. At each location was a set of directions instructing students to raise the blank sheets of paper at the 5- and 10-minute marks of each quarter.
The sign-banning policy has upset many students in recent weeks and has received national media attention, including an article by ESPN sports reporter Rick Reilly that served as a source of inspiration for the protest.
“Here’s what Virginia students should do for every home game from now on: Bring signs that say nothing,” Reilly wrote. “Bring signs that say, ‘This Is Not a Sign.’ Or bring 60,00 [sic] signs and let the athletic department goons try to sort them out. Because sometimes rebellion isn’t just a good thing. It’s the only thing.”
Fourth-Year College student Blaire Hawkins, who helped organize the protest, said she saw Reilly’s article as the call to action for University students.
“People were already upset,” Hawkins said, “and then to see such a ... public reaction is what finally pushed us to try to do something.”
‘Hoo Crew president Kevin Dowlen said he received an e-mail regarding the protest at about midnight Thursday. He chose to make the rest of the ‘Hoo Crew aware of the protest because he felt students should be informed about the controversy surrounding the new policy.
“I [thought it] would be good to galvanize the whole student body and make them aware of [Reilly’s] article that doesn’t portray us in positive light,” Dowlen said. “It’s important for students to see that so they can try to take a stand against it.”
University spokesperson Carol Wood said the policy is only intended to promote sportsmanship and a positive gameday environment.
“As part of the University’s commitment to sportsmanship, we annually examine ways to improve our efforts in this area,” Wood said. “It is our hope that these recent changes will encourage true sportsmanship in the stands and add to gameday enjoyment of all fans and guests of the University.”
Dowlen, however, said signs add to the game-day environment.
“[The athletic department] talks about ‘gameday atmosphere’ until they get blue in the face,” Dowlen said, “But signs enhance the gameday atmosphere.”
Fourth-year College student Alexander Neal, who attended Saturday’s game, said the policy should be revoked because he believes signs can be an effective and positive way for students to express themselves at athletic events.
“Craig Littlepage and Al Groh should work to promote a festive and positive game day environment,” Neal said, including the allowance of signs.
Rich Murray, associate athletics director for public relations, however, said the athletic department had no comment, other than to reiterate the policy stating all banners, signs and flags are prohibited in University athletics venues.
Meanwhile, the discussion moved beyond just students and the administration this weekend as a number of alumni present at the game were equally dismayed with the new policy.
“It’s disgraceful,” 1986 Engineering alumnus George Ax said. “They’re taking the fun out of the game.”
Ax also recalled the more lax athletic policies in place when he was a student, referencing the fact that “even the school-sanctioned Pep Band made jokes about the other team” and was not reprimanded.
1997 Engineering alumnus Joe Pedersen said the signs are all in good fun.
“Some might be in bad taste, but the majority are clever,” he said. “Whatever happened to free speech?”
Pedersen also suggested the sign ban contradicts some of the University’s founding principles, noting the University prides itself on the prevalence of student self-governance. Students are considered responsible enough to preside over the honor code and hold trials for fellow students, Pedersen said, “but now you’re not responsible enough to make [appropriate] signs?”
As the debate continues, Student Council President Matt Schrimper said student protest against the policy will continue until the issue is resolved and noted that Student Council plans to become more involved in the issue.
Student Council has been in touch with the athletic department, Schrimper said, and a meeting between the two organizations to seek a resolution will be scheduled in the near future.
“If we can’t have a resolution with the athletic department,” Schrimper said, “then we’ll continue to find other ways to address the situation through alternative methods,” including repeating Saturday’s protest at future games.
Schrimper said the policy has a deeper significance than simply the banning of signs.
“I think we all agree that it’s part of a larger issue of First Amendment rights and free speech,” Schrimper said, “Especially at Mr. Jefferson’s University.”
As for Saturday’s protest, Hawkins said she was pleased with the outcome.
“I was really thrilled to see how many participated,” she said. “The visual was very powerful and not something that can be easily ignored.”
Editor’s Note: One of the organizers of the protest, Zach Rowen, is a Cavalier Daily sports columnist.
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