UCI Student Leadership Vetoes Flag Ban

The executive branch of UC Irvine’s student government vetoed a ban today on national flags in the university’s student government offices.

Today’s 4-1 vote was by the Executive Cabinet of the Associated Students of UCI, university spokeswoman Cathy Lawhon said.

The veto vote followed Thursday’s decision by six undergraduate students on the Associated Students Legislative Council to ban every country’s flag from its offices, including the U.S. flag, Lawhon said. Four of the 17 students on the legislative body voted against the ban and two abstained.

But the Executive Cabinet met today, and after a discussion voted to veto the bill, according to Lawhon.

“We fundamentally disagree with the actions taken by (the) Legislative Council and their passage of (the ban) as counter to the ideals that allow us to operate as an autonomous student government organization with the freedoms of speech and expression associated with it,” according to a statement issued by the Executive Council after the veto vote. “It is these very symbols that represent our constitutional rights that have allowed for our representative creation and our ability to openly debate all ranges of issues and pay tribute to how those liberties were attained.”

The cabinet is led by Student Body President Reza Zomorrodian -- who had issued a statement against the ban -- and includes four vice presidents.

“This legislation is not endorsed or supported in any way by the campus leadership,” Zomorrodian said in his statement.

The author of the legislation, Matthew Guevara, and the student who seconded it, Khaalidah Sidney, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The bill lists multiple reasons for banning the flags, including they promote “nationalistic sentiments,” and characterize them as “cultural artifacts.”

The bill goes on to read, “Whereas flags construct paradigms of conformity and sets homogenized standards for others to obtain, which in this country typically are idolized as freedom, equality, and democracy.”

The students also cited “American exceptionalism and superiority,” and said that the country’s flag “has been flown in instances of colonialism and imperialism.”

The aim of the legislation appeared to be to foster a “culturally inclusive space” in the student government offices.

The university’s administration issued a statement prior to today’s vote calling the decision to ban flags “misguided” and urging a veto.

“The views of a handful of students passing a resolution do not represent the opinions of the nearly 30,000 students on this campus, and have no influence on the policies and practices of the university,” the statement read.

It went on to express an appreciation for “the value of intellectual inquiry and the free and rigorous exchange of ideas,” calling them “bedrock values of institutions of higher learning.”

“And yet, we are constantly reminded that those values we cherish are in part, guaranteed by the sacrifices made and the struggles waged to secure the freedom and democracy that the flag symbolizes. UCI never takes that for granted.”

• City News Service
• Photo Credit: Twitter user Lance Rifenburg ‏@lancerif

• Get Patched in! Sign up for Patch news alerts for your town.

  ALISO VIEJO | FOUNTAIN VALLEY | LAGUNA BEACH | LAGUNA NIGUEL-DANA POINT |LAKE FOREST | LOS ALAMITOS-SEAL BEACH | MISSION VIEJO| NEWPORT BEACH-CORONA DEL MAR | RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA | SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO | SAN CLEMENTE