The "flyer policy" at the University of California Washington Center requires a student to have his or her flyer reviewed and approved before it can be posted. Once the flyer is approved, it may only be posted on the student life board on the fourth floor, which is rarely seen by students. Flyers that have not been approved will be removed. If flyers are posted with content that is offensive or references alcohol, students will face disciplinary action.

The idea that our right to communicate with other residents is so compromised that we can not post flyers in the elevators or other commonly seen spaces without them being taken down and ourselves facing disciplinary action is more than condescending, it is deeply inconsistent with the purpose of an academic institution. University campuses are intended to promote a free exchange of ideas between their students, staff, and professors so that those individuals can connect socially, politically, and academically. Restricting our mode of communication to a space on the fourth floor seems to clearly undermine this purpose.

The Free Speech Movement demonstrated that students of the University of California deserve to be treated with respect and are entitled to the same rights our constitution grants to every person. We hope that the UCDC center can try to live up to the ideal that movement asserted.

The undersigned express concern with the policy, and urge the University and building management to change the policy so that student may freely post flyers on the residential floors and in the elevators without seeking prior approval, and can do so without fearing disciplinary action, so long as the content of the flyers is consistent with the First Amendment.