Dear President Lamb,

My name is Kaila Knudsen, and I woke up this morning with one simple intention: to exercise my right to participate in my state’s public education system. 

It wasn’t until I got to campus that a member of the faculty warned me that a group advertising some disturbing content would be obstructing my route to class and that I should consider taking another path to my class if I would be offended. Haven’t we already endured enough interference with our education?

I knew that, with said group being planted in the quad in the middle of campus, my only other route to class would have to be behind the student center and around the student union center, only to wrap around the entire PAC building adding 5-10 minutes to my route, making me late to class. Classes I pay for. 

I do not consider myself an easily antagonized person, so I decided to go through the quad. I trusted that whatever disturbance there was, my school would protect me from anything that would make me feel unsafe or harassed. Little did I know that when I got to the most public space on my campus, I would be bombarded by posters telling me I would be going to hell if I made a private decision about my body.

A pamphlet was aggressively shoved in my face with dialogue insinuating that if I ever made that same private decision about my body after an assault, I would essentially be mimicking the assault, and as liable as an assailant.

I know you have taken note of the “protestors” on campus this week, and have taken all the action you feel necessary. I understand they have a right to free speech and a right to peacefully protest in this public space. However, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, “Your right to free speech does not extend to libel, slander, obscenity, ‘true threats,’ or speech that incites imminent violence or law breaking.” 

I go to an excellent school and take pride in my education, an education that has taught me that the definition of libel is, “a published false statement that is damaging to a person’s reputation.” I also learned in class that slander is defined as, “false statements made by one party against another.” Obscenity is, “an extremely offensive word or expression.” Harassment is described as, “unwelcome conduct based on race, color, religion, sex (i.e. gender), national origin, older age, disability, or genetic information.” 

I am writing to tell you this conduct is harassment and unwelcome. Telling students they will go to hell is obscene and threatening to young women who have endured the trauma of such a decision. Attacking predominantly young women over an intimate and private decision about their bodies is a direct attack on all female students, students who have gotten abortions or endured miscarriages, students within the age to produce children, students who do not subscribe to this particular subset of religious beliefs and students who fall within the primary demographic of people most likely to require an abortion (young, low income, women of color). Harassment. These “protestors” are hindering the ability of myself and other students to peacefully perform our daily responsibilities and activities. 

Being told by the people employed, to ensure I have access to a safe and comfortable educational environment, that I should simply avoid a threat that has been positioned directly in my path is concerning. I trust you to protect me. I feel unsafe. People are out in the open, in the middle of our campus, adamantly protesting my bodily rights as an autonomous citizen, and all you can tell me is to ignore it. It’s disappointing.

I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity I have to further my education in a safe environment. I am also incredibly grateful for my right to independently decide what happens to my body. I trust this administration to protect those rights and advocate for me and said rights. Please protect us. Please don’t force this message on people by stationing this type of protest in the middle of campus. It strongly suggests the school endorses its message.

Thank you for taking the time to hear me and read these thoughts. I hope you are more aware of the severity of the threat to your students and to see some more substantial action in our defense.