The Daily Orange

Media Credit: Aaron Burden [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Aaron Burden [Click to enlarge]

Hundreds walked in Hendricks Chapel Wednesday afternoon, discussing what the Chief Justice John G. Roberts might say to dedicate Newhouse III. But outside, a select few were discussing what Roberts has already said.

Sitting calmly and near silently in a lawn chair beside a sign that said "Bong hits 4 Jesus," professor Larry Wolf exercised his right to peaceably assemble.

"I don't think I'll get fired," Wolf said, smiling behind his sunglasses.

Students walked up to Wolf, commenting on the protest.

"If I have to explain it then it's not worth the trouble," Wolf said to one student, who didn't understand the reference of the sign.

But some students did catch his allusion to the Morse v. Frederick Supreme Court case from March 2007. The "Bong hits 4 Jesus" case stated that a school has a right to restrict student speech if drug use is being promoted.

Wolf said he was surprised there weren't more students out on the Quad during Roberts' speech.

"What's the matter with students?" he said. "Why aren't there more students out here?"

But there were no large groups of protestors, no chants, no sit-ins; just the September sun, an autumn breeze and the few who did use Roberts' visit as a chance to voice their opinions.

Josh Snodgrass, a senior English and religion major, chose to protest by standing outside of Hendricks with a strip of duct tape across his mouth. He said the duct tape symbolized "free speech liberties being taken away."

"The Constitution is there for a reason, the Bill of Rights is there for a reason," Snodgrass said. "By (Roberts) catering to the increase of executive power, he's making this a far less-balanced democracy with more potential for dictatorship than ever."

Snodgrass, like Wolf, was intrigued by the lack of protestors.

"Simply being disillusioned and disinterested in the entire system is evident in the fact that there are very few out here," Snodgrass said. "There seems to be a general discontent but very little actual action."

Snodgrass called the idea to bring Roberts for the dedication "ironic and ridiculous."

"There's too much, and nobody's speaking up at all. And people are afraid to," he said.

Wolf said the goal of his protest was "to let people know that I think the Supreme Court decision was wrong, in the broader perspective, that Roberts is basically wrong,"

Others were seen on campus wearing T-shirts printed with "Bong hits 4 Jesus."

Outside the chapel, freshman Alex Sullivan held up a sign that read "Bong hits 4 Roberts" during the chief justice's speech. Sullivan said that, as part of research for class, he wanted to see if he would be allowed to protest or if he would be kicked out of the area.

"It's a potent topic that I have an opinion about," Sullivan said. "I don't know why they signed him to do this. At the moment, I find it a bit ironic."

After Roberts' speech, those in Hendricks walked to the Newhouse plaza for the dedication ceremony. Sullivan's signs were stared at, sometimes encouraged and sometimes ignored. Passersby took pictures with their cell phones and gave thumbs up to the protestors.

At the edge of Newhouse I during the dedication, Newhouse graduate Heidi Pitzer stood alone, casually wearing sunglasses with a purse slung over her shoulder. In her left hand she held words for those across the Newhouse lawn to read, with one more "Bong hits 4 Jesus" sign. Pitzer is currently a doctoral student in the School of Education.

She said the lack of protestors was "a little disappointing." Pitzer recognized how hectic the life of a student might be, but she said it "didn't take long to just step out."

Pitzer said she stood against the Supreme Court ruling that upheld the ban on partial-birth abortion, a case in which Roberts was part of the majority ruling.

"He said that, even though they didn't have evidence of women having bad experiences or bad psychological experiences after an abortion," Pitzer said. "Even without that, they still went ahead and ruled against it. To me, that kind of negates some of women's free speech."

"They went against a lot of medical and nursing associations," she said. "They're playing doctor."

"If we really do have free speech, I'm interested in whose free speech," Pitzer said.

All the protestors agreed that the choice to bring Roberts was an interesting choice to begin the "Year of the First Amendment," considering his ruling in the "Bong hits 4 Jesus" case.

"My guess is he was invited before they knew what his decision was going to be. You can't just disinvite him," Wolf said. "That's restricting free speech, too."

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