Admission to Boston University will not be jeopardized for students whose high schools penalize them for engaging in peaceful protests, according to a tweet by BU Admissions on Friday.
In an official statement, Dean of Admissions Kelly Walter wrote that BU supports students who choose to protest in the wake of the Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
“We stand in support of every high school student who chooses to participate in peaceful protests, such as the March for Our Lives and the National School Walkout Day,” Walter wrote, “or who thoughtfully and respectfully exercise[s] their freedom of expression.”
The National School Walkout, scheduled for March 14, and the March for Our Lives, scheduled for March 24, are being organized to protest gun violence and call for increased gun control.
BU Admissions made the statement to support students who are now taking action to improve the safety of their schools, Walter told The Daily Free Press.
“[Students] should expect the safest environment to learn,” Walter said. “They should expect a place that they consider to be their second home, and that’s changing. Our young people are speaking up about what they need and what they expect and we wanted to join them in this outcry.”
Walter said she felt the need to make a statement on the issue after multiple high schools around the country went on the record saying they would punish students who participated in the National School Walkout. A handful of students contacted BU Admissions this past week to ask whether or not their application to the university would be put in jeopardy by participating in peaceful protests.
“Frankly, I was surprised that schools were not supporting students’ right to civil and peaceful protest …” Walter said. “It was really important that [students] be assured that as long as they were being thoughtful and peaceful in their protests, that we would support them.”
Nicole Marino, a sophomore in the College of Communication, said she thinks BU Admissions’ statement is a positive reflection of the administration’s support of student activism.
“[Protesting] is an important part of our society today, especially with something like a school shooting, which can happen anywhere,” Marino said. “It’s important that the university is staying current and being aware of how people feel.”
Katie Selig, a junior in the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, said that while she likes the stance Admissions is taking, she feels that the university’s administration needs to do more.
“It’s important for students to feel comfortable showing their opinions on current issues,” Selig said. “I don’t feel like I see much about protests and civic engagement from BU’s administration as of right now.”
Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore said he encourages students to think about the issue of gun violence and become civically engaged.
“First, figure out where you stand on this and have an opinion,” Elmore said. “The second part would be [to] figure out how you can be in solidarity with some other people who have similar thoughts about it.”
Although Friday’s statement refers only to the specific issue of recent protests against gun violence, BU supports students’ First Amendment rights at all times, Walter said.
“There is no doubt that this statement is very specific and very narrow to what students are doing today as an outcry against these repeated events of violence in their school,” Walter said. “The statement applies to the National Walkout Day, but we support and respect freedom of expression all the time.”
Elmore said BU encourages students to find their voices for issues they’re passionate about.
“This is about those of you who want to engage in the civic process of voting or running for office ourselves,” Elmore said. “Those are all important kinds of things to do.”
Ethan Sohn, a freshman in the Questrom School of Business, said he thinks protecting student’s rights to protest is an important thing for the university to do.
“It’s a good thing to reassure students that they can stand up for what they believe in without being penalized,” Sohn said. “It’s a positive way to increase engagement.”
