That time a professor shut down my debate club meeting over a topic she didn't like

I was setting up a discussion on campus housing policies at State College last fall, and the faculty advisor walked in, canceled the event, and told us we couldn't talk about it because it might 'offend the administration', so I ended up hosting it at a diner off campus with 12 people where we actually got somewhere - has anyone else found a workaround like that when your school clamped down?

2 comments

2 Comments

ryan_clark4019d ago

The diner move is smart but you might have missed something. Check your student handbook for the actual policies on guest speakers and off campus events. I found a loophole at my school where if you registered as a "private gathering" with less than 15 people, the administration couldn't do anything. The fine print in section 4.2 of our policy said faculty advisors only had authority over "official club functions" which meant I could meet people at a coffee shop and call it a study group. That way the advisor can't shut it down because technically you're not breaking any rules.

sam_wood6019d ago

Honestly I've been through this exact thing. What worked for me was swapping the name on the signup sheet. We called it a "residential affairs advisory meeting" instead of debate club. The advisor can't really touch you if you frame it as a student interest group rather than the official club. I also learned to keep the location off any school calendars or emails, just text people the morning of. They can't shut down what they don't know exists.