The University of Texas at Dallas decided late last year to remove its campus “Spirit Rocks” because students used the rocks to express opinions about the Israel-Hamas war.
After students painted different slogans about the Israel-Hamas war on the rocks, UT Dallas announced that the rocks would be removed because, the school claimed, political messages were inconsistent with the rocks’ original purpose. In fact, the policy which actually governed the Spirit Rocks did not establish that the rocks may not be used to express political messages. Indeed, messages previously written on the rocks include “Vote Blue” and “UTD 4 Socialism.”
Since UT Dallas has continuously allowed the rocks to be used for political expression, it cannot now limit that speech or cut it off entirely because it does not like the views expressed.
Urge UT Dallas to restore its Spirit Rocks to their prior location.