Evergreen suspends student organization

Democratic society violated on-campus ban of concerts

By Jeremy Pawloski | The Olympian • Published April 22, 2008

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The Evergreen State College has suspended Olympia Students for a Democratic Society for the remainder of the school year and placed the organization on probation until January 2009 for violating the on-campus concert ban imposed by the administration after a Feb. 15 riot following an on-campus concert.

SDS is trying to fight the suspension, and has distributed a news release decrying the suspension as a curtailment of free speech on campus.

During an appeal this month, SDS presented a petition signed by students, faculty and staff members "demanding full reinstatement of SDS, an apology by the administration, and a restoration of autonomy and independence to the Student Activities department," according to the news release.

SDS spokesman Shyam Khanna said close to 500 students, faculty and staff members signed the petition.

Evergreen Student Activities director Tom Mercado rejected SDS' appeal, the SDS news release states.

"The suspension means that SDS has lost its budget and office, can no longer hold meetings, book events, or use school facilities and equipment," reads SDS' news release.

At issue with SDS is Evergreen's decision to cancel two SDS events that took place March 7 after the concert moratorium was enacted. One was a panel discussion of the "San Francisco 8 to discuss issues of torture, police and government repression, COINTELPRO, the Black Panther Party and political prisoners." This event "had no musical attributes whatsoever and was put on as a separate event," reads SDS' news release.

Olympia SDS' other canceled March 7 event was an anti-war folk music performance, the release states.

But Evergreen spokesman Jason Wettstein said the suspension is not about free speech, it's about the organization's failure to obey the administration's moratorium on concerts.

"The reason SDS was suspended is that SDS used a campus venue, despite the fact that the event was canceled," Wettstein said. "SDS decided to break the rules and hold the event." Wettstein added that SDS' two March 7 campus events were "wrapped up together."

Evergreen's concert moratorium was put in place by the administration following a Feb. 15 riot after an on-campus concert by the hip-hop group Dead Prez.

Evergreen Vice President of Student Affairs Art Costantino has said that the Evergreen concert ban was in effect until a new committee could review the school's security procedures during concerts. Wettstein said Monday that the committee is still at work.

SDS' news release states that it plans to file one last appeal to the administration "before all official channels of petition have been exhausted."

Jeremy Pawloski covers public safety for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5465 or jpawloski@theolympian.com.