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Orgo night, but every time they say “protest” it gets faster
The Columbia University Marching Band released a statement tonight declaring their intent to perform Orgo Night in protest to Vice Provost Ann Thornton’s decision to forbid the event from occurring in Butler 209.
Specifically, the Band claims that Columbia’s decision to block the use of 209 is a suppression of free speech which all groups should fear. The Columbia University Marching Band’s decision to protest comes after semesters of referencing protesters in their Orgo Night scripts. In Fall 2015, for example, they referred to a BCSN event as an “all-you-can-protest buffet.”
According to the event’s Facebook page, Orgo Night will begin at 11:30 in front of Butler Library. “Orgo Night,” the statement declares, “is NOT cancelled.”
See the full statement from the band below:
To the Students of Columbia University:
The administration’s decision to oust Orgo Night from Butler 209 sets a dangerous precedent, undermining student groups’ right to organize and their right to free expression. Location is fundamental to any form of public expression, and when the administration dictates where students can and cannot organize, it effectively corrupts and redefines the students’ message.
This decision impacts more than just Orgo Night and the Marching Band. It carries with it the broader implication that student expression comes second to administrative agenda, which could legitimize future restrictions on free speech unrelated to Orgo Night.
Join us in front of Butler tonight at 11:30pm for the start of this semester’s Orgo Night. Help us let the administration know that we, as a collective student body, demand that they be transparent in their decision-making processes and that they represent the first amendment values they so vigorously tout as a core ideal.
To be perfectly clear, Orgo Night is NOT cancelled. The show will go on, in the form of a protest. We hope to see you all there.
Sincerely and g(tb)^2,
The Board of the Columbia University Marching Band
Fall 2015’s Orgo Night via Bwog’s file photos
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9 Comments
@CIA (curious intellectual ally) What is g(tb)^2????????????
@Rev. Trashy If we told you, we’d have to kill you. Or join the band.
@KGC5` Bollinger says: “there have been a number of objections and complaints by students of disrupting study time at this critical time of the year.” Really? Let’s see them. Redact out the names and let’s see the complaints from students. How many? Two? Three? Does that mean that anyone who complains gets their way? Or was this a groundswell of complaints (not about content, but about “disruption”). If so, why wait for the last minute to “cancel” Orgo night? Obfuscating the real motives is what gets politicians in trouble and covering up after your bad decisions is even worse. There’s still time to change your mind, Pres.
@Amendment1.69 Get the band to Butler
@QuiteConcerned A camera system has just been installed in Butler Library at the entrance. More cause for concern?
@Maybe Concerned “Just been installed” = earlier this semester, on grounds of general security, or in the past few days, in anticipation of a possible illicit entry by a clarinet or two?
@Amendment1.69 You have a right to assemble… CDCJ had a 7 day sit in in Lowe and they were not punished. That building has tight security.
@up all night Bwog posting content ALL NIGHT
@Anonymous thank u cumb for protecting our free speech from the clutches of ann thornton