UNI supports, opposes President Allen

Our View

After a proposal from University of Northern Iowa’s President, Ben Allen, the Iowa Board of Regents approved the closing of Malcolm Price Laboratory School due to budget constraints in a hot-topic Feb. 27 meeting. The controversial decision displaced close to 400 students and ignited thousands of fiery debates.

Whether you approve of Allen’s decision or rue his name, one idea remains universal: opinions must not overstep boundaries.

Reports of hostile letters and death threats to Allen and his family have trickled to the surface, and those vehement in their opposition have taken their American right to speak freely very, very literally. However, simply maintaining the legal right to express downright rudeness doesn’t make it a moral right; having the ability to spout anti-Allen slurs doesn’t mean you should.

It’s equally deplorable, however, for Allen-enthusiasts to shower UNI’s President with inappropriate support..One student representative contacted our staff mulitple times, pressuring us to publish nothing that could cast Allen in a harsh light. Such a foreceful stance sullies the First Amendment, proving there can be too much of a good thing. Just as unnecessary hateful commentents detriment the situation, insider encouragement upsets the political playing field.

As decisions about the future of MPLS and those it affects come to fruition, be wary of the fuzzy line separating legal right from what is right.

Simply put: keep it classy, Cedar Falls.