A gathering of student leaders Thursday calling for calm reasoned dialogue in the face of opposing viewpoints was a stark contrast from the protests that spawned it.
And when Student Body President Jasmin Jones introduced Youth for Western Civilization President Riley Matheson" she told the crowd it was time to start practicing what they preached.
""This is our moment"" she said.
And the crowd stopped talking and listened.
Leaders joined together on stage to respond to protests that took place Tuesday, when students prevented former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., from giving a lecture on immigration. Tancredo was invited by Youth for Western Civilization.
The gathering was held to reaffirm the long, historic fight for free speech and expression at UNC and to encourage more productive dialogue on campus.
UNC has a reputation for being a friendly and loving place"" Jones said. What we witnessed this week was miscommunication.""
Tancredo was supposed to speak in Bingham Hall on Tuesday about immigration policies but had to be escorted out of the room by police because the situation was too volatile. The crowd of more than 150 protestors chanted and waved banners" breaking a window in the process.
Police set off a Taser gun and used pepper spray to disperse the large crowd gathered outside the room.
But those who gathered Thursday expressed displeasure with the way protesters kept Tancredo from speaking" saying it was unproductive activity.
""When we have countering viewpoints on an issue" there are a few options" said Justin Rosenthal, co-president of the UNC Young Democrats. We should address the issue — but instead we silenced the speaker.""
The student leaders' statements echoed those made by University administrators" who have expressed disappointment with students' actions.
The First Amendment and the right to free speech have caused issues at the University before.
In the 1960s N.C. legislators passed the Speaker Ban Law which prohibited individuals from speaking on campus who were members of the Communist Party or who had used the Fifth Amendment to avoid Congressional investigations of subversive activity.
The ban was intended to prevent controversial speakers from visiting liberal college campuses during a time of social unrest.
Student activists and organizations such as student government and The Daily Tar Heel lobbied against the law calling it an infringement on the right of free speech.
In 1966 Student Body President Paul Dickson along with many supporters sued the University to challenge the ban. Two years later the ban was revoked.
But Tancredo's visit has prompted students and community members to revisit the issue of free speech.
Alicia Soto president of the Carolina Hispanic Association" said members of her organization had wanted to attend Tancredo's speech to hear his opinions but were unable to as a result of the protest.
""We wanted to respond in an academic way" but it did not happen because people were all working for the same goal using different techniques she said.
Rosenthal said everyone should be allowed to exercise his or her right to free speech.
Even if we feel certain speech is wrong we need to allow it to be open to the public he said.
Some students expressed regret that UNC might be viewed in a negative light by the rest of the country as a result of the protests.
We sincerely hope the mixed messages sent by protestors will not affect free speech at UNC" said Amanda Gutierrez, president of Coalition for College Access.
The student leaders at Thursday's gathering agreed that members of the University community must continue to respect free speech and tolerance.
We need to emphasize the power of respect on ourselves the outside community"" Jones said.
Click here to see a blog post about the Speaker Ban Law.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
