Author’s Note: The following is, unfortunately, a true story that took place this semester at the once-great (and once-conservative) Pepperdine University. No names have been changed to protect the guilty. They don’t deserve it.

One Monday morning, just before the 2008 presidential election, a Pepperdine student (and College Republican, or CR) took a sign to the Office of Student Affairs. The sign read “Barack Obama socialism ‘08” in big letters, with “Socialism is bad. Do not vote Obama ’08. More info: CR meeting Weds 8pm, AC 245”.  A young woman working in the office took out a stamp and approved the poster.

Three members of the CRs hung the sign up in the Café.  A couple of faculty members smiled and warned them to be careful since they were placing it up so high. Pepperdine students gave mixed reactions. The CRs sat in the Café awhile and then left. Shortly thereafter, their sign was removed.

Chris Garcia, the Vice President of the CRs, and another CR named Wesley Heuler found the sign, which had been moved to Pepperdine’s “Freedom Wall”.  They took the sign down and put it back up in the Café.  It was yet again taken down.  So a member of the CRs named Mimi Rothfus went to Student Affairs. (Roughly) the following conversation ensued:

Mimi Rothfus: Hi, I brought a sign in earlier, and it was approved.  We put it up; it was taken down. When we put it up again, it was again removed. I had two stamps of approval on this poster, so why was it removed?

Student Affairs: This is partially our fault because we should never have approved this in the first place. We got a lot of phone calls complaining.  We told your president to take it down and put it on the Freedom Wall.  He said he would. When it was not taken down, we removed it.  Then you put it up again, and we took it down. We were a bit angry that you never took it down and then put it back up. You cannot put up a statement like you put anywhere except on the Freedom Wall; groups can only advertise themselves and their meetings.

The next day, Mimi went to the poster room and picked up a number of posters Chris had left there. The posters said essentially the same thing as the other one, only with the meeting time and place and contact information enlarged. A female employee at Student Affairs gave Mimi the stamp, and the signs were approved. As she left the office a man named Don Lawrence stopped her. (Roughly) the following conversation ensued:

Don Lawrence: Did you get that approved?

Mimi Rothfus: Yes.

Lawrence: Because we had an issue with a sign saying “Socialism” yesterday.

Rothfus: Yes they were approved.

Mimi walked outside again but only made it a few steps before Lawrence stopped her again. (Roughly) the following conversation ensued:

Lawrence: She wasn’t allowed to approve your posters. Let me see them.

(Rothfus showed him).

Lawrence: You can’t have these up because they say “Obama” and “Socialism”. We’ve gotten a lot of complaints from students and professors about it yesterday. The university cannot show support for and approve this.

Rothfus: This is advertising our meeting. Like several recent talk shows, we’ll be discussing Obama and socialism.  All our meeting information is on there.

Lawrence: Well Ryan (CR President) or Chris (Garcia) is going to have to come and talk to me about this, and I’ll have to take your posters. This is university policy. Continued...