From the desk of Frank Carroll October 30, 2010

“The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the
human race; posterity as well as the existing generation; those who dissent from the
opinion, still more than those who hold it. If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the
opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a
benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision
with error.” ~John Stuart Mill, On Liberty, 1859

We now find ourselves at an all too familiar crossroads. Once again, the voices of our students,
our fellow Tritons, are to be silenced without bold and courageous action from those of you who are
willing to disagree with the majority opinion and stand on principle.

I understand the difficult decisions that face you. I was a student government leader myself. I
understand there will be winners and losers at the end of the process. But as I stand here now, one year
removed from the bickering and backbiting that was the Associated Students, it was the times I stood on
principle that meant the most to me. I look back on the decisions of exigency, those decisions that I told
myself had to be made “for the good of the students,” and I mourn the fact that I sacrificed what I knew to
be right, for what I thought to be efficient.

Our media organizations are the epitome of the student experience. The student experience is a
time to express your true self, a time to experience viewpoints that are not your own, and most of all, a
time to disagree without fear of reprisal or alienation. And now we face, once again, a decision that will
either diminish the student experience for all of our fellow Tritons, or reaffirm our collective endorsement
of vibrant and vigorous free speech on campus. I, as a former AVP and alumnus, choose the former. I ask
you to do the same.

You must understand that forcing media organizations to come up with 25% will amount to de
facto discrimination of alternative viewpoints. You are all college students. Do you have an extra $100
lying around? I know I didn’t. And if you do, then why not charge A.S. council members a fee to use the
office space, printers, staff, etc.? Why not charge all principle members of every student organization
$100 for the privilege of receiving their fees in the form of an allocation? Why not make tradition events,
or Triton Tide, or TTV come up with independent funding?

While papers like the Koala will continue to print with no interruption, papers like the MQ will
face dire consequences. If the concern is budgetary, then make the 25% requirement a blanket
requirement for all funding requests. Don’t discriminate merely because one organization prints issues
while another takes trips to conferences. If the concern is abuse of the system, pass the provision that
allows for a student to be a principle member of only one media organization. There are ways to address
your concerns. But please, do not make the same mistake I made. Don’t sacrifice your principles in the
name of efficiency, and the student experience in the name of exigency.

Regards,

Frank O. Carroll III

Juris Doctorate Candidate 2012
UCSD Class of 2009