On April 10 and 11, during the annual admitted students event, Spring into Whitman Day, community members posted flyers and distributed leaflets around campus in support of Whitman College Workers United (WCWU). The union, which organized a rally in February, remains active on campus. However, WCWU withdrew their petition for voluntary recognition from the administration after administrators elected to file for an election through the National Labor Relations Board in early March.
In response, unaffiliated community members posted flyers reading “Whitman busts unions. Which side are you on?” Many posters were removed by employees during Spring Into Whitman Day, as they violated campus-wide Buildings and Grounds Usage.
However, some posters remain in certain parts of campus, including Olin Hall. Junior Sarah Adams described her reasons for supporting the non-tenure track faculty and staff union as a student.
“Directly after [the February rally], the college did try to break up the union. So continuing to press [and] continuing to show ample support for the union is the biggest thing,” Adams said. “Admin [likes to think] that people are focused on other things. It’s April. It’s a [rough] month. We’re showing them that we’re still focused on supporting the union.”
Adams described her experience chalking outside Cleveland Commons on April 11. According to Adams, a staff member repeatedly asked if she was a college student and why she would attempt to deter visitors from enrolling at Whitman.
“We’re not trying to get in the way of students coming here [or to] make anyone uncomfortable. But what admin cares about, at the end of the day, is reputation and these kinds of events, like Spring Into Whitman. Enrollment is where they get their money,” Adams said.
In a comment emailed to The Wire, WCWU Communications Chair Shelby Hearn shared the union’s stance on unaffiliated individuals expressing support for the organization.
“On behalf of WCWU I can say that we do appreciate any and all shows of support from our community,” Hearn said. “It means a lot to see how our students and colleagues see and value the labor of Whitman’s staff and non-tenure track faculty, and support our cause for a fair contract. Of course, we encourage folks to follow Whitman’s posting polices and guidelines.”
Gina Zandy Ohnstad, Whitman’s VP for Communication, explained how these guidelines are enforced on campus and how this resulted in some flyers being removed earlier this month. She specifically referenced rule one of the posting guidelines, which states “Signs and posters are permissible […] provided the name of the responsible individual or organization appears clearly on all posters, signs, etc.,” which also applies to printed handouts in the school’s handbook.
Ohnstad said the policy’s rationale is “to avoid any confusion as to whose position or content it is,” as well as to minimize clean-up efforts for campus facilities staff. She explained that including the club or individual’s name affiliated with the message helps differentiate their views from those of the college as a whole.
Flyers posted earlier this month used wheatpaste, an adhesive method where posters are attached using a starch-based glue. Ohnstad cited their location across campus, method of application and the lack of a label from the affiliated group or individual as reasons for their removal. She also clarified that employees may be instructed to remove flyers that break these rules or they may remove posters themselves.
“The removal of posters happens in different ways at different times. It kind of depends on the circumstance,” Ohnstad said. “Sometimes, there is a report from someone that there is a poster that violates the poster policy, so staff are sent to remove them. Sometimes, facilities [staff], who know the rules, will, if they see something, remove it.”
Some students believe the policy deters transgressive views that prefer or require anonymity, claiming that the policy’s identification requirement could privilege voices and perspectives that are not disruptive. Ohnstad thinks otherwise.
“I think it’s important when it comes to free speech that the folks who are posting about their particular opinions are posting with enough backing that they’re not afraid to put their name on it,” Ohnstad said. “I would just say that [deterring less privileged groups from posting] is definitely not the intent of the policy.”
Marion Mattson, a senior IRES and RWPD major, views the potential effects of removing the flyers as harmful to students’ free expression. Mattson witnessed some of these posters being removed by employees and expressed her frustration with policy enforcement.
“This whole concept is nonsense. In reality, posters are allowed everywhere on campus as long as the administration likes them. A few weeks ago, Greek life ‘check-it’ posters were posted on building doors, on the outside of buildings, in bathrooms — all locations that are ‘unapproved,’ but no one took issue with them. The same is true of Quarterlife posters, etc.,” Mattson said.
For Mattson, the flyers’ removal proved both frustrating and motivating, and she believes that their brief presence on campus buildings sparked some action or questions about free expression.
“The more posters that are taken down, the more will go up! Approaching WCWU antagonistically, as the Board has chosen to do, is a mistake, [which] will only lead to more anger and unrest on campus,” Mattson said. “They are underestimating the stake of the problems in their governance, which the union and so many faculty have articulated.”
Students like Mattson and Adams express frustration surrounding grounds use policies, explaining their view that these regulations could foreclose students from sharing their views on more sensitive subjects. They point to the removal of flyers commenting on administrative responses to WCWU as an example of the limitations of this policy, and how the guidelines could be updated to protect anonymous expression. Ohnstad explains that current posting policies must be enforced on campus.
