USF decision to temporarily remove flags from campus building triggers panic among students
The president of an LGBTQ club at the school called the move ‘scary’ and ‘disheartening.’
A USF spokesperson said the move is only temporary while renovations are being considered for the building.
The University of South Florida St. Petersburg has removed all flags from the University Student Center, including a Pride Flag and Black Lives Matter flag, triggering outrage from some students.
The instruction to remove the flags came on July 16. Skye Smith, the president of the school’s “PRIDE Alliance,” said she was contacted by the Office of Student Engagement, telling her that several flags would be removed “due to mandate [sic] from an external entity that received a complaint about these flags.”
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The school’s Black Student Association claimed that the decision was made “following a complaint to the governor’s office.” However, Carrie O’Brion, a USF spokesperson, said the school received no such directive from the governor’s office, and that USF is only temporarily removing the flags while getting ready to renovate the student center building.
“During our review, it was noted there was not a reliable or comprehensive process for selecting and rotating the flags in the USC. We have temporarily removed all flags until we can convene a group of students, faculty and staff to solicit their input on all aspects of the renovation during the fall semester,” O’Brion said.
The removed flags included a pride flag and a Black Lives Matter flag, which caused opposition among some students.
Skye Smith called the move “scary” and “disheartening,” and said the decision shows that “marginalized communities” are “being silenced.”
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The College Democrats at USFSP also opposed the removal of the flags, saying they “stand with the communities affected by this harmful decision.”
The Black Student Association at the campus also wrote that it “does not agree with or support this decision.” In another post, the group also wrote: “Students and alumni are encouraged to review current and upcoming USF policies and engage in public comment. It is crucial that we unite as a student body to ensure that we create the proper procedures, so that events such as the flag removal never take place again.”
Campus Reform has contacted the University of South Florida for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
