MEADVILLE, PA, February 20, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) – An investigation at a Pennsylvania college initially thought to be a crackdown on pro-life speech on campus has been resolved after campus security determined safety concerns “have been alleviated.”
Dr. Jeff Schneider, assistant dean of students and director of safety and security at Allegheny College, told LifeSiteNews that faculty members were concerned because pro-life fliers “ended up on faculty desks” even though “doors were locked.”
Last night, The Daily Caller reported that the private liberal arts college in Meadville, Pennsylvania, was investigating security concerns after pro-life fliers ended up slid under the doors of faculty offices in several campus buildings. The article indicated the university was concerned about the speech on the fliers.
But according to Schneider, the “investigation showed that [fliers] ended up on the faculty desks because the custodial staff picked up fliers off the floors of rooms when pamphlets were slid under the door. This is standard action by the custodial staff” to prevent fliers from being trampled.
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Schneider told LifeSiteNews that faculty members were concerned because while their offices are in “public access buildings, [office] doors were locked.”
“Our concern was that pamphlets were on professors' desks, because faculty members questioned how the fliers ended up on their desks without permission. We wanted to make sure there was no security breach.”
The Daily Caller reported that Allegheny's dean of students, Joseph DiChristina, had e-mailed the campus that the administration was looking into the fliers' presence.
“Promoting a particular point of view through this type of anonymous method is seen as an act that is antithetical to the kind of environment where open dialogue and conversation can take place,” DiChristina wrote, according to The Daily Caller. “We ask that individuals engage in respectful behavior that promotes a free exchange of ideas. It is important that we value all people and that we not promote behaviors that cause harm and that can be seen as intimidating.”
Pro-life activists have faced censoring in recent days at a Washington State high school and the University of Alabama. The high school ordered pro-life paraphernalia taken down, while leaving pro-homosexual materials in public view, while the University of Alabama has apologized to its campus pro-life organization for taking down its display.
Schneider said he had “no opinion about the flier content, but about the security concerns. Our college is no different from any public or private university. We value, appreciate, and promote First Amendment rights.”
“All security concerns have been alleviated,” concluded Schneider.