When UGA student can’t park his scooter, he rides parking services and ends up with disciplinary charges
Should a student be punished for mouthing off? The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education doesn’t think so, and is claiming another victory involving a public Georgia university and student speech. (A few weeks ago, I posted an entry about the Valdosta State student who also won his case with the help of the group, which advocates for individual rights, due process, freedom of expression, academic freedom, and rights of conscience on colleges and universities.)
University of Georgia student Jacob Lovell used a bit of strong language to complain in an e-mail about the lack of scooter parking on the Athens campus. (Apparently, he doesn’t subscribe to the old adage about getting better results with honey than the F-bomb.)
The peeved parking services folks forwarded his e-mail to the Student Judiciary, which proceeded to tell Lovell that he was being charged with two violations of UGA’s University Conduct Regulations, stating, “Specifically, it is alleged that Mr. Lovell engaged in disorderly conduct and disrupted parking services when he sent an email to them that was threatening.” Lovell was required to make a disciplinary appointment by Sept. 13 or he would be flagged from registering.
Here is the e-mail with the bad language removed:
Subject: Scooter parking
Message: To: parking@uga.eduWhy isn’t there any scooter parking near Aderhold, according to your parking map? There’s like a billion places to park on north campus and over by the Georgia center, but nothing anywhere close to Aderhold. What the hell? Did you guys just throw darts at a map to decide where to put scooter corrals? Can I expect you guys to get off your a**** and put in a corral near there some point before I f****** graduate and/or the sun runs out of hydrogen?
Thanks for nothing, ever,
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: UGA Parking Services
Date: Wed, Aug 18, 2010 at 3:40 PM
Subject: Re: Your Parking Services Request – Case 000000000016711Your e-mail was sent to student judiciary.
—
Request: Scooter parking———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Jacob Lovell
Date: Wed, Aug 18, 2010 at 8:34 PM
Subject: Re: Your Parking Services Request – Case 000000000016711
To: UGA Parking ServicesSo that’s a no?
In coming to Lovell’s defense, FIRE wrote to UGA President Michael F. Adams and the student learned last week that the matter was closed.
“If a student can’t complain about scooter parking, how can students be expected to feel comfortable taking on anything genuinely controversial?” said FIRE Vice President of Programs Adam Kissel. “Yet, on campus after campus we have seen that schools have forgotten that truly fostering a ‘marketplace of ideas’ necessarily means sometimes hearing things you do not want to hear.”
This is off topic a bit, but I spent a night in a first floor Ivy League dorm last weekend – in a room set aside for visitors – and heard students coming in late at night. I was struck by their deep attachment to the f-word, which has become their adjective of choice as well as their standard rejoinder to statements to which their elders might say “wow” or “no kidding.”
I am a different generation and still find the word off-putting, but there is a greater concern: If these teens use this word so often, aren’t they worried about it slipping out in a workplace internship or while chatting with a supervisor?
Can it become a bad habit they can’t shake?
Or is it acceptable now in daily discourse and complaining e-mails?
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119 comments Add your comment
When UGA student can't park his scooter, he rides parking services … | Nice Article for Student
September 23rd, 2010
5:24 am
[...] Read more: When UGA student can't park his scooter, he rides parking services … [...]
money
September 23rd, 2010
5:45 am
No, it is not acceptable. The school must simply prohibit the use of profanity in its By-laws/student rules much like the Code of Conduct that high school students must follow that can be found in most HS agendas.
WE lost our way
September 23rd, 2010
6:06 am
Maureen, I agree with you 100%. My son goes to UGA and being there for one day to visit makes you wonder what language they are teaching. I know it has transferred to the the business world and may become the norm. My wife still works and she tells me about the use of profanity by employees and supervisors on a daily basis. It is the new way to express yourself all the time.
God Bless the Teacher!
September 23rd, 2010
6:17 am
Don’t start blaiming schools about the filthy language coming out of students’ mouths. It’s the culture to which students have been exposed growing up. Peer groups determine acceptable behavior, whether in the school yard or work place. As long as “free speech” means media outlets (i.e., music, movies, etc.) are able to use just about any language they want, then don’t expect students or adults to never use filthy language. Shouldn’t the bigger issue being discussed here be why UGA has not thought out how to better accommodate those students who are actively trying to help the parking situation by driving to school a more reasonable mode of transportation? If not, then let’s count the number of responses it takes before complete blame is placed on schools (i.e, students’ teachers) for the student’s e-mail rant.
teacher&mom
September 23rd, 2010
6:42 am
I wish I could say I was shocked by the young man’s email. I’m not and I bet he just received instant “hero” status on campus for his foul mouth. While the young man had a valid point about the lack of parking, his choice of words negated his entire purpose. UGA should have held firm on the disciplinary action.
WE lost our way
September 23rd, 2010
7:06 am
Just for your information,UGA has a bus transit system throughout campus and has outside service with Athens Transit System at no cost to the student. You can live off campus and still get anywhere on campus with the bus system. Yes, you may have to walk from one building to another for a class but it want kill you. Also they schedule classes 15 min. apart so you can walk to the next class or jog(good exercise). Class scheduling ahead for the next semester will solve a majority of these type problem.
catlady
September 23rd, 2010
7:06 am
It probably would have been better, rather than giving this foul mouthed blowhard the glory, to just have replied, “Thank you for your suggestion. We are looking into your complaint.”
As a professional, i don’t have to listen to people cuss and threaten as part of my job. I am simply not paid, nor dispositionally inclined, to do so. I will leave the room or call the police.
While many people use the F word...
September 23rd, 2010
7:16 am
..as a common adjective these days, I have found that it is more of a “northern” thing – your experience in an Ivy League atmosphere probably made it more pronounced. As such, I am reminded of the movie ‘My Cousin Vinny’ – it was hilarious, and I thought that it would be great for my mother in law to watch – however, upon watching it with her I obviously had forgotten how much the F word was used in that movie. Needless to say I was mortified, though the MIL did not say anything and did enjoy it.
When telling my wife of my concern and embarrassment for suggesting such a foul mouthed movie, she reminded me that that is just how people in NJ and the north regularly speak, and it is true – though with many having now gravitated to the south, it is much more prevalent down here, too. And, yes, I am old (over 55) and true to my southern roots…
Dr NO!!
September 23rd, 2010
7:41 am
The use of scooters should be immediately discontinued and this young man expelled.
Philosopher
September 23rd, 2010
7:52 am
The email is appalling! Period. No excuses. Period. Where in the world did that brat learn to speak (write) to anyone that way?! He clearly has little respect for anyone. My oldest kids are college kids and would speak to NO one in such a manner…for any reason. HOWEVER…my son would have approached the parking services, asked to speak with a person in authority and when he finished discussing the issue with them, his scooter would have been moved and parked for him and he would be fast friends with all of them. When we have no respect for others, we clearly have little for ourselves, either, and it shows in every aspect of American life right now. We had better wake up, folks. Children need to treat others respectfully, understand that we can’t always have our own way…and how speak and write well- all elements that are missing in this email. Lastly, in our house, the old adage “cussing is the crutch of the crippled conversationalist” is also respected.There are so may better words to use and they are impressive. You CAN raise kids that don’t use profanity.
teacher&mom
September 23rd, 2010
7:58 am
Of course Mr. Lovell’s infamous email can be found through a simple Google search of his name. Future employers may not be as impressed with Mr. Lovell’s choice of words. You know what they say about karma
Teacher
September 23rd, 2010
7:59 am
If you would like to see where kids learn to deal with problems in this manner, come take a look at the nonsensical emails that are sent to teachers by parents to defend their lying children. Usually these emails are sent after 10pm, presumably after a bottle of wine.
Mike
September 23rd, 2010
8:04 am
His language has become more and more mainstream. Read any article in Rolling Stone or Men’s Journal.
Athenian
September 23rd, 2010
8:04 am
I have heard plenty of people drop the F-bomb with a perfect southern accent on the UGA campus… I don’t believe it is just a NJ or northern thing. I recommend a persuasive writing class for the student, and a refresher on the constitution for the people in Parking Services.
Elizabeth
September 23rd, 2010
8:08 am
UGA should have stood firm and disciplined that yong man. This languafe is on TV, in every movie, in most books including juvenile literature and rampant in our schools. It is what students hear at home and everywhere else they go. I have sat through more than one parent conference in which the parent has a foul mouth and continually uses these words. I am am required to listen and say nothing because it is an adult, the parent, talking. Yet we discipline kids for that.
I inform my students every year that words like “bull, crap, sucks, hell, damn,” and expressions like “that’s gay” are NOT allowed in my classroom. Both parents and students are amazed to discover that I consider such words inappropriate for use in everyday life.
Our language is disintegrating because a correct and varied vocabulary is no longer valued. It is one thing to place a few bits of profanity in a novel IN CONTEXT ( such as in a novel like To KIIll A Mockingbird or The Grapes of Wrath) and another to lace a book with multiple profanities because that is the fashion of the day. I have been unable to read the Run with the Horsemen series by Ferrol Sams because of this. The story is wonderful but the language made me unable to continue because most of it was not needed to tell the story.That being said..
Please don’t write mkultiple blog entries condemning my lack of “sensitivity” or old fashioned values. I stand by my assessment, and if you read the words IN CONTEXT in this response, you will under stand that I am NOT comdemning all such language in literature.
Atlanta mom
September 23rd, 2010
8:09 am
There are two issues here.
First is the f bomb. This is not a northern thing, believe me. While the word has never been used in my home, I hear my children use it with regularity when talking with their friends. I used to find it appalling, now it is merely disconcerting.
The second is how one makes an inquiry and requests a change. This young man fails. But, I’m guessing he did learn this delightful behavior at home.
Drew
September 23rd, 2010
8:25 am
I curse like a sailor in my daily life (I’m 25), but it’s never once slipped out in the three years I’ve been teaching a class of kids. It’s a different mindset when I’m just hanging out with my friends. The above e-mail is obviously stupid and he obviously is not going to get what he wants, but he shouldn’t be punished.
stw
September 23rd, 2010
8:35 am
The kid’s got a lot of class…too bad it’s all low..
Dr NO!!
September 23rd, 2010
8:40 am
The use of scooters should be discontinued and this young man expelled immediately.
Lynx
September 23rd, 2010
8:40 am
Your statement that you are of another generation tells the story. Most adults older than say, 35, still regard the f-word as jarring and vulgar. Not so for younger adults. As you note, it has become a part of regular speech, used casually as well as an expletive when angry. The English language and usage are very fluid – grammar and punctuation are not the only things that change.
Here’s what Wickipedia says about profanity…http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profanity…that swear words are stress relievers and “…that university provosts swear more than librarians or the staff members of the university day care center.”
In the South, I hear parents insist on their children using “ma’am” and “sir” to adults, which to the parents conveys politeness. The irony of this forced politeness was apparent to me when I heard an in-laws child (11 years old at the time) turn to his mother in a fit of anger and say, “F— you, ma’am!” I promise I didn’t laugh (out loud).
Shan
September 23rd, 2010
8:41 am
The bottom line is that this young man is adult, and although he could have opted to use less coarse language, that doesn’t make his argument any less valid. Also, universities need to realize that they cannot simply arbitrarily charge students with violating campus codes when they have actually not done so. Let this be a lesson to Valdosta, UGA and the like!
When UGA student can't park his scooter, he rides parking services … economic university
September 23rd, 2010
8:48 am
[...] post: When UGA student can't park his scooter, he rides parking services … By admin | category: University of GEORGIA | tags: education, individual, victory | [...]
Philosopher
September 23rd, 2010
8:50 am
Dear Drew: At what point, if any, would you consider firing foul language and foul rhetoric at a person to be abusive? If your mother was one of the parking department employess, would you think it OK for this person to speak, email in such a manner to her? If we have no expectations for decent behavior one to another, we have anarchy. If we do have lines we draw beyond which is indecent treatment of another and someone crosses that line, he/she should be held responsible…can’t have it both ways.
Shar
September 23rd, 2010
8:57 am
Using the f word as adjective, adverb, exclamation, noun, verb and subject noun is, sadly, universal. And, as I told my kids, it’s boring. My son went to Grady, and it was common to hear the word used four or five times in a sentence during casual conversation. In a way, this was a convincing reinforcement to my argument that good conversationalists don’t rely on any one word, or a word “tic” such as “like”, to make their speech or writing interesting and persuasive. I also taught them that word choice should reflect the person with whom they are speaking. They may, and do, use the f bomb when speaking with friends, but they don’t when they talk to me, to their employers or their grandmothers.
My daughter is a freshman at UGA, and during orientation we were told repeatedly that scooters had to be registered on campus and that there was limited parking for them. The entitled Mr. Lovell has bigger problems than his banal and incorrect writing, into which he incorporated the weak and pointless “like (a billion places…)”, the use of the f-bomb (obviously a verb) as an adjective, and suggested that he is unlikely to graduate until “the sun runs out of hydrogen” (which, given this sample of his verbal skills, may be the truest point he makes). He obviously cannot hear the clear instructions, both written and verbal, that we all received from Parking Enforcement; he is unable to act in accordance with rules, and he is so utterly convinced of his right to special treatment that he freely abuses and ridicules those whose responsibility it is to find ways to share scarce resources.
He also cannot read a map. Aderhold has a large parking lot directly to one side, and it has a big bus stop directly in front. It is also across the street and down one block from additional lots near the Coverdell Center. Apparently, however, these options are not good enough for Mr. Lovell, who seems to have a pressing need to park mere feet from his destination.
His limited skills in vocabulary and writing, his imperious sense of entitlement, his reliance on abuse and petulant demands to get his own way and his refusal to accomodate the needs of others are far more damning to his future than a pitiful, adolescent use of “bad words” to buttress his claim to adulthood. With this letter permanently in cyberspace for any potential employer or graduate school to see, his chances of enhancing his future prospects are significantly poorer than those of his fellow students, particularly in a tight job market.
Mr. Lovell may feel smug at having the University back down, but that is a rather predictable reaction from the foolish, short-sighted and smug.
lyncoln
September 23rd, 2010
8:59 am
Well, it certainly isn’t the the most eloquent way of expressing his displeasure. I agree that his message isn’t actually going to change anything. Better to just respond with “Your comments have been taken into consideration. Thank you” and move on with life.
I found the Student Judiciary’s statement to be just as foolish. Where in the e-mail did he threaten the parking services people? Also, I can’t imagine a single e-mail was actually capable of disrupting the operations of the parking system of UGA. Perhaps they were all standing around the office arguing how to respond to the e-mail and thus did nothing else during the day?
As for the use of profanity, all I can do is point to a statement that has long been part of culture “Sh$% Happens”. Bumper stickers like that suggest that cursing is becoming more culturally accepted.
Kristal
September 23rd, 2010
8:59 am
If this is the same Jacob Lovell who previously attended the University of West Georgia, then I’m not surprised he would casually drop the f-bomb. To put it midly, he can be a bit crass when it comes to expressing his opinions.
Dr. T
September 23rd, 2010
9:02 am
Filth is filth, and shoudk be treated as such.
F***ing Right
September 23rd, 2010
9:13 am
The student of course had the right to complain. The decision to close the case as it was framed was correct.
However, the student should not have the right to be disrespectful to employees and other students on campus.
A warning should have been issued to curb the language when communicating with employees. Everyone on campus should have to act respectfully to everyone else, teachers, students, etc. (probably is in the student handbook).
This whole situation stems from the current problem of teachers giving grades so marginal students can attend GA public schools under HOPE.
Roy Barnes Lipstick
September 23rd, 2010
9:25 am
The use of scooters should be discontinued and this young man expelled immediately…yes immediately.
JATL
September 23rd, 2010
9:31 am
Who CARES about college kids using the F word? Geeez -UGA parking has been insane for years. I’m 40 and was there in the late 80s -it was HORRIFIC! Good for him. He certainly shouldn’t have been sent to student judiciary for telling them the truth. Sounds like whoever sent it is just a low level bureaucrat paper-pusher who will never be more.
teacher&mom
September 23rd, 2010
9:35 am
“This whole situation stems from the current problem of teachers giving grades so marginal students can attend GA public schools under HOPE.”
Bahahahahaha…..yeah right blame the teachers. How predictable….
drew (former teacher)
September 23rd, 2010
9:51 am
Profanity has been around a long time, and it’s not’s going anywhere. It’s just words, people…it ain’t like it’s sticks and stones. And to compare the profane words of one generation to those of another, is pointless. Ditto for the North/South comparison…I’ve seen southerners who can cuss circles around New Jersey!
There’s a time and place for everything. I’ve discovered that my own propensity to “cuss” has varied over the years (I’m 54), depending on my social environment. When I’ve worked with people who used lots of profanity, I’ve found myself doing the same, both in and out of the workplace. But during the time I was teaching I found myself using less profanity, mainly because the profession demanded it, and those I worked with used little profanity. Now that I’m back in the private sector, working mostly with men my age, who don’t shy from profanity, I’m right there with them (it’s like riding a bike). And you don’t want to hear what comes out of my mouth sometimes when I’m driving. If this makes me a bad, or disrespectful person, then so be it. I’m guilty as charged.
And while the “profane” email in question may not be respectful (or productive), I think the writer makes good use of profanity to clearly convey his level of frustration with parking services. When conveying thoughts and feelings, sometimes a profane word is the best word. Plus…sometimes it just feels good!
I don’t use the same language with with my kids, mother-in-law, pastor, or God forbid, a judge, that I use with my friends. Like I said, there’s a time and a place. Yes, it’s a habit, but one that most people can control.
Philosopher says:
“My oldest kids are college kids and would speak to NO one in such a manner…for any reason.”
Seriously? For real? Not even a sh_t or a dam_? I don’t think you know your kids as well as you think you do.
Maureen Downey
September 23rd, 2010
9:58 am
@Kristal, I thought his message and his short response were clever rather than crass with the exception of the expletives, which negated the message. His tone ensured that his concerns would not be taken seriously. Maureen
Tony
September 23rd, 2010
9:59 am
Right to freedom of expression comes with a responsibility to treat others respectfully. It is sad that a group is advocating for a person to have the right to berate others in such a demeaning way. Just because a person wants to shoot of at the mouth does not give them any special dispensation.
FIRE’s response about “hearing things you do not want to hear” is lame, especially in a case like this. Back in the 60s when protests against the Vietnam war were taking place, you definitely heard things you didn’t want to hear. There is a huge difference between this kind of expression and the kind of berating language Jacob chose to use.
Bottom line – Jacob needs to grow up.
LLL
September 23rd, 2010
9:59 am
What kind of a whimp are these parking office people to feel “threatened” by this e-mail? I think people in the law enforcement (not sure if parking office is exactly a law enforcement office) should learn to deal with unhappy customers the way service industry people have to deal with them. Sending an e-mail is not a criminal act, even if it contained some vulgar languages. The Judiciary office should have sent the e-mail back to the parking office and told them to “grow up” and “learn to deal with him.”
Tony
September 23rd, 2010
10:02 am
One more thing – the employees of UGA have a right to work in a place free from abusive situations, too. If the University fails to protect their rights, they can also sue. In this case, choosing to support the employees was the right call.
Sounder
September 23rd, 2010
10:39 am
He’s a dumb kid. He made a childish mistake. The use of profanity in his email makes him sound like an idiot, and ensures that his complaint will not be taken seriously. If he just wanted to vent, I guess he was successful. If he actually wanted to affect change, he failed.
I can tell you that if I was an employer considering hiring this guy, and someone brought that email to my attention, his resume would go straight in the trash. No one wants a person who is unable to communicate effectively working for them.
LLL
September 23rd, 2010
10:43 am
Tony,
Is an e-mail with some profanity an “abuse”? I think people in the offices like the Parking Enforcement should develop much thicker skin.
Mid GA Retiree
September 23rd, 2010
10:46 am
The student showed his maturity level with his vocabulary. His disrespect for the institution that he is paying to educate him is evident. I totally agree with Sounder. Any resume I got from him would go straight into the trash. I wish someone at UGA had the intestinal fortitude to tell this student “Perhaps we are not the college for you. We wish you well as you pursue your education elsewhere!”
AlreadySheared
September 23rd, 2010
10:47 am
From “Planes, Trains & Automobiles”
Car Rental Agent: [cheerfully] Welcome to Marathon, may I help you?
Neal: Yes.
Car Rental Agent: How may I help you?
Neal: You can start by wiping that f***ing dumb-ass smile off your rosey, f***ing, cheeks! And you can give me a f***ing automobile: a f***ing Datsun, a f***ing Toyota, a f***ing Mustang, a f***ing Buick! Four f***ing wheels and a seat!
Car Rental Agent: I really don’t care for the way you’re speaking to me.
Neal: And I really don’t care for the way your company left me in the middle of f***ing nowhere with f***ing keys to a f***ing car that isn’t f***ing there. And I really didn’t care to f***ing walk, down a f***ing highway, and across a f***ing runway to get back here to have you smile in my f***ing face. I want a f***ing car RIGHT F***ING NOW!
Car Rental Agent: May I see your rental agreement?
Neal: I threw it away.
Car Rental Agent: Oh boy.
Neal: Oh boy, what?
Car Rental Agent: You’re f***ed!
Drew
September 23rd, 2010
10:50 am
@Mid GA Retiree
Expel a kid for dropping the F-work?? Are you serious?? Drop the holier-than-thou attitude.
Drew
September 23rd, 2010
10:50 am
sorry, that should be “word,” not “work”
TheCapn
September 23rd, 2010
11:00 am
I have heard “abusive” talk without a so-called profane word ever entering into the speech. I have worked with people who simply considered ANY profanity to be “abusive”, so this doesn’t surprise me. It’s simply a bunch of power-hungry people who look for ways to gain the upper hand by claiming abuse and “disruption” simply to have someone they can’t or won’t deal with to be dealt with by someone else. It’s also the kind of people who think that every person who deals with them absolutely MUST conform to their own set of values. It makes them feel good to have that student brought up on some idiotic charges, because they need to be able to exert some false dominance over them, or prove that they have to respect whatever ridiculous rules they have for inter-personal communication. Kind of like the cops who think that their every command must be slavishly obeyed, and when someone dares question them, they get charged with “disorderly conduct” or “interference with an officer.” Again, it is petty little people with power issues, who think that fear of their position somehow makes that position better. I have a lot of respect for people just trying to do their jobs, police included, but these people, police included, need to understand that a badge or a title does not put them in any sort of position above anyone else. In fact, when I see these people trying desperately to exert this pretend dominance, they lose my respect altogether. As for the arguments about transit, then, you could argue that any and ALL parking spots should be promptly eliminated, since this transportation is so convenient, and so much better than the alternative. His argument is still valid: why have dozens of specialized spots at one place, and not another?
Dr. John Trotter
September 23rd, 2010
11:18 am
Maureen: I too find the F-bomb quite “off-putting” (as you put it). But, I have certainly had many police and government officials to attempt to abridge my non-F-bombing speech. I have been locked up on a few occasions for my “free speech.” I am quite amazed how that those in power (even little bits of “power” like student judiciaries) actually think that it is their right to police someone’s speech.
Georgia and other states refused to ratify our Constitution without the additional ten amendments (our “Bill of Rights”). The first is Freedom of Speech. When we start allowing the speech police to get their way, then we are in trouble. I have found that police officers seem to hate pickets. Heck, our country was founded in dissent and protest. This is pure Americana.
I take personally my ability to say what I want to say. I know the parameters about hollering “Fire!” in a crowded theatre. But, allowing little weasels to get by with abridging your speech just because they are uncomfortable with it is beyond the pail. I have been arrested, but I have never been convicted of one thing because charges are dropped. Prosecutors know that they don’t have a leg to stand on when a police officer makes a false arrest about speech that he or she just doesn’t like — or, more likely because the superintendent or some other booger-eater wants the police officers to shut me up. I am not easily shut up. I know when my speech is appropriate and permissible. I do not disrupt meetings, but when the meeting is over, I know that I can talk. And I know that I have a right to quietly hold up a sign in the back of the public meeting room, as long as it does keep others from seeing what is going on. I was arrested for this also. Charges were summarily dropped.
One time a police officer admitted to me that he knew that we (at MACE) had a right to picket but they he was just going to solve an “immediate problem” by arresting us. Can you imagine? Of course, he apparently changed his mind when we whipped out the video camera!
The Constitution protects uncomfortable, unpleasant, and unpopular (even if just unpopular with the government officials) speech. Pleasant, nice, and sweet speech needs no protecting.
Maureen Downey
September 23rd, 2010
11:38 am
To all, Someone posted a response to this blog under the name Jacob Lovell, but the posting did not pass muster with our filter because of a string of F-bombs. But I thought his point was worth sharing, so I am posting it here with my edits. Jacob, if that was you, the F word may not be a curse, as you note, but it still can’t survive the filters of most blogs. (I also think that you are probably going to provoke a lot of people into saying it’s you who ought to “grow up.” )
But to free speech and free debate, here is Jacob’s post:
Stevie Bee Goode
September 23rd, 2010
11:51 am
By the way, how is The Georgia Gang going to operate these next few Sunday mornings…with one of their principals, Jeff Dickerson, apparently working overtime trying to shore up the “beat-up” images of the Atlanta Public Schools, the DeKalb School System, and Bishop Eddie Long? Will Dick Williams be his usual chipper self? My guess is that they will handle these matters delicately and gingerly, especially since colleague Jeff Dickerson makes his money (apparently a lot) helping these entities in their Public Relations. Perhaps the Clayton County School System should have hired ole Jeff, and Dick might have given Clayton a free pass. Dick lives in Dunwoody, right? No, he wouldn’t want his house values to plummet like in Clayton County. Yep, poor little ole Clayton County was beaten to a pulp by the media likes of Dick Williams and Jeff Dickerson. Now it seems that a more seedy situation is sitting in their back yards. Hmm…life is interesting.
AlreadySheared
September 23rd, 2010
11:58 am
Yep,
F***, f***, f***ing f***. And, while we’re at it, n****r, n*****r, n****r.
I’m guessing these are pretty much the same psychotic egotists who get fussy when, behind the wheel of a car, their ability to run 20+ mph over the speed limit is impaired. And who do their best to mow down pedestrians in crosswalks.
Mid GA Retiree
September 23rd, 2010
12:04 pm
I would absolutely expel this young man for his flagrant abuse of good manners. It is high time that people took a stand and try to bring civility back to our culture. Expelling students for crudeness and gross profanity is a start. And next, let’s do the same to politicians. If the truth be known, he just might have learned the word from a politician.
Maureen Downey
September 23rd, 2010
12:09 pm
@Mid Ga, If we expelled college students and legislators for a lack of manners or bad language, I suspect that we could turn UGA into a cow pasture and the Statehouse into a homeless shelter.
Maureen
LLL
September 23rd, 2010
12:15 pm
Do people ever watch Cops on TV? Don’t those police officers use the f-word pretty frequently? Why is it ok for them to use the word?
Wondering
September 23rd, 2010
1:13 pm
Tony hit it on the head. As a supervisor of people with public contact, all such communications, either in writing or verbal are forwarded to me. My approach is to try to get to the person’s underlying issue, see if it is a reasonable request, and if so, I resolve it. However, I don’t go out of my way to help abusive people, especially those that don’t respond to kindness.
I try to remember that A-B-Cs of behaviour modification, but I also have a job to do, and customer satisfaction is a big part of it.
What if someone at the parking office had responded in a similar manner to Mr. Lovell? In my office, it is grounds for immediate termination. Unfortunately, I can’t pick my customers, only my employees.
What if Mr. Lovell had received a responsive email such as, We are sorry to hear of your frustration with the scooter parking near Aderhold. We do have a more sophisticated process for determining where parking is needed that throwing darts at a map, and student demand is one significant input to that process. Your input is appreciated and your message will be forwarded to the appropriate decision makers.
Invite him in and have him read his email to a group of employees. If he shows, he will probably edit out the profanity on the fly. If he’s a UGA student, he’s not stupid.
Warrior Woman
September 23rd, 2010
1:53 pm
Although the student’s language was crude and unnecessary, the initial response from the Student Judiciary was completely inappropriate. There was no threat in that email. The language used is common on campus and has been used by professors in classrooms. If parking enforcement operations were disrupted or staff were threatened by the email, they’re clearly incompetent for their jobs and work environment.
And, as Dr. Trotter noted, opening the door to the speech police is a very dangerous action. When tested, university speech codes have generally been found to be unconstitutional and unenforceable.
@Tony – a single email does not constitute harassment. Anyone that thinks it does should not have a job that involves public contact.
Claudia Stucke
September 23rd, 2010
2:23 pm
Unfortunately, even the hallways of high schools and middle schools often sound like dialogue from “Glengarry Glen Ross” (please pretend that was in italics). We’re overusing swear words (particularly the F bomb) to the point that they have lost their shock value as well as the therapeutic value to the swearer. I used to use hallway outbursts as teachable moments in my high school English classroom: When an F bomb exploded audibly outside the classroom, students would look up to see my reaction and (probably to their disappointment) see that I was simply weary of hearing it yet again. “We need to get some new swear words,” I would say, and they’d all burst out laughing–at first; then discussion ensued about the purpose of certain diction (particularly profanity)and how we actually undermine that purpose, depriving the word of its energy, effectively destroying it. One solution, with the help of the Folger Shakespeare Library, was to resurrect some marvelous Shakespearean expressions (insults, mostly). Even jaded adolescents concurred that “you yeasty, onion-eyed rabbit-sucker” was far more satisfying than “F*** you!”
Maureen Downey
September 23rd, 2010
3:31 pm
@Claudia, The spam filter on this blog has five UGA students now, all of whom used the F word in their comments about the lousy parking at UGA. The problem with their use of the word is that it gets in the way of making their point and it communicates nothing but negatives to most people.
I just talked to a friend who mentioned that she immediately tosses out the applications of interns whose cell phones answer with songs with graphic lyrics. Her reasoning: If these students lack the professional sense not to give out phone numbers with obscenity-laced lyrics in the message, then they are too stupid to work for her.
Drew
September 23rd, 2010
5:06 pm
@Mid Ga
You need to pull that stick out of your crusty old a** and f*** off
David Sims
September 23rd, 2010
6:06 pm
“Specifically, it is alleged that Mr. Lovell engaged in disorderly conduct and disrupted parking services when he sent an email to them that was threatening.”
The allegation is false. Lovell used the plural A-word once, and he used the -ing version of the F-word once, but the sense of his comment was non-threatening. Lovell was a pottymouth in about the same style and to about the same extent as Alan Alda’s “Hawkeye” character on M*A*S*H. But he didn’t threaten anyone.
Lee
September 23rd, 2010
7:45 pm
As with the Valdosta State incident, both parties share some blame here.
1. Mr. Lovell needs to learn that coarse language has no place in a business correspondence. Do that after he graduates, and it will probably result in termination from his job.
2. Parking Services overreacted to the email. There was no threat contained in the letter. Maybe a little training is in order for Parking Services personnel.
Here is a link to FIRE’s press release. Note that Parking Services solicites feedback from the students, both “positive and negative.” As the old adage goes, “Be careful for which you ask, you just might receive it.”
As an aside, parking at UGA is a mess. Mr. Lovell probably had some valid points to make. Too bad the message got lost in the brouhaha.
Lee
September 23rd, 2010
7:46 pm
Forgot the link:
http://www.thefire.org/article/12275.html
Mary
September 23rd, 2010
9:44 pm
Enter your comments here
David Sims
September 23rd, 2010
9:46 pm
I’ve attended Valdosta State then-College, and parking was a problem. The Public Safety cops delighted in seeing to it that you were either late for class (walking all the way from the main parking lot) or else required to pay a fine for parking too long while you were in class. I know a few other things about some of the VSC/VSU Public Safety cops, but this isn’t the place to ventilate them.
David Sims
September 23rd, 2010
9:47 pm
Nice try, Mary.
Mary
September 23rd, 2010
9:51 pm
I’m a 55 year old woman with several degrees, and I found the student’s e-mail hilarious. To the person who suggested employers blackball him for using the f-word: you have obviously never heard the way law firm partners speak to associates and to each other. Profanity is part of our language, and sometimes there is no better way to put something.
Mary
September 23rd, 2010
9:53 pm
Thank you.
Atlanta mom
September 23rd, 2010
11:15 pm
Nice try David. The reference to Valdosta has nothing to do with parking
Shannon
September 24th, 2010
6:39 am
A few thoughts.
1) It’s a sad truth in our culture that people who are customers feel they have more rights of expression than people who are in customer service. Lovell is the customer in this case, and the University’s parking department is in customer service. For those who say that Lovell would be “fired” from his job if this kind of behavior were exhibited–well, yes. But he wasn’t at work. For all that we like to say that school is students’ job, it isn’t–especially when they pay to be there. They are customers, who are afforded more latitude.
2) More to the point, however, if the school wants to consider communication with the f-word (or any other word) to be off-limits, then the school needs to codify that. It would be simple to put in the student handbook something along the lines of “profanity in official communication to any school department will result in X disciplinary action.” Rules are fine, but they can’t be made up after the fact.
Atlanta Media Guy
September 24th, 2010
10:37 am
Has anyone here watched any show on MTV or for that matter Prime Time? Good grief, the F-bomb is thrown around like the word is! There are more bleeping bleeps than bleeps at a Ludicrous concert! Matter of fact what is the meaning of the word is?
the prof
September 24th, 2010
11:01 am
Hilarious! In ten years this snot nosed punk and the one at VSU will both be insolvent and on public assistance. Parking problems at universities are often only in the mind of the beholder. Usually it involves the following philosophy, “I should be able to park immediately outside my class or dorm room any time I want too”!!!
Reality
September 24th, 2010
11:28 am
Unfortunately, our society seems to be degrading more quickly than ever, and the f-bomb among other horrible words are becoming mainstream.
What these uneducated people don’t realize and don’t know is that the English vocabulary allows for many more word choices that are much more descriptive and demeaning than any of those curse words….
Tweets that mention When UGA student can’t park his scooter, he rides parking services and ends up with disciplinary charges | Get Schooled -- Topsy.com
September 24th, 2010
11:49 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by FIRE, Adam Kissel, Adam Kissel, Scott W. Allen, Maureen Downey and others. Maureen Downey said: When UGA student can’t park his scooter, he rides parking services and ends up with disciplinary charges http://bit.ly/bw8plv [...]
Joey
September 24th, 2010
11:45 pm
Yeah….that is what happens with a Student Judiciary. A bunch of egghead student who have never been in the real world feeling their power. Bunch of morons training for jobs in government and politics!
Joey
September 24th, 2010
11:47 pm
UGA Parking Services…..bunch of mindless part-time workers hiding in the bushes looking to write a ticket to make UGA extra money. They have a quota to meet you know!
Ole Guy
September 26th, 2010
5:47 pm
As a not-quite-twenty recent returnee from a tour in Vietnam, I was home on leave. As we sat around the table, Mom, Dad, sisters, and yours truly, all was aglow in the knowledge that we were, once again, a whole family. That momentary magic spell was abruptly and crudly broken when Mom’s young Soldier asked “Would someone pass the f_ _ _ in peas”?
To be sure, there’s a time and place for everything, choice of language being at the top of the list. While our Constitutional “rights” grant us many allowances which, in the real world, may or may not fly, at the end of the day, it’s all about exercising judgement. The good thing about the written word, as opposed to speech, is that we are granted the opportunity to decide if that’s really the way in which we wish to express ourselve. Obviously, Mr. Lovell failed to exercise this opportunity. Is salty language, spoken or written, sometimes called for? Damn right it is! However, i’s all based on the prudent exercise of judgement, something which we tend to forget is an on-going life-long process.
On a slight side bar…does UGA have an intra campus van service? My alma matre had one which, managed by a Former Marine, kept a precision schedule both on and off campus, except when one of the drawbrides, separating the main campus from the beach bars, was drawn.
LIFE’S A BEACH!
Claudia Stucke
September 27th, 2010
12:17 pm
@Maureen, I agree that casual profanity is an indicator of a person’s maturity, awareness, and intellect (or lack thereof). Job-seekers are frequently admonished to clean up their mouths (and ther Facebook pages), but this very fact raises the question, Why must people be told or reminded to do this? And when attempting to be persuasive, do people not understand that they will not be taken seriously if they resort to diatribes, especially those peppered with obscene or vulgar words? Maybe it’s a matter of intent: They’re not necessarily trying to persuade, just to vent. Unfortunately, when we’re so free with F bombs or other abusive or disrespectful language, we look like brats throwing tantrums rather than people who are looking for solutions.
Brad
September 29th, 2010
10:30 am
The sky is falling.
David Granger
September 29th, 2010
10:40 am
There is lots of valid criticism to go around here, and certain Lovell is obviously guilty of being a babbling dumbass.
But the thing that bothers me the most is that the Student Judiciary tried to claim that merely sending a note asking a question (albiet in a crude and insulting manner) was “disorderly conduct” which “disrupted parking services.” And even claimed that the note was somehow “threatening”. Where’s the threat?
I’d be willing to bet you anything that this Student Judiciary is full of little giggle-sissy liberals, who believe that free speech is a fine thing. Until you disagree with them, of course, and then its “hate speech”.
Patrick
September 29th, 2010
10:48 am
While I agree that he could have been more constructive with his approach, and probably would have gotten better results with a more tactful email, I’m glad to see that his freedom of speech was upheld. Even though he didn’t exibit good judgement, he has a right to voice his opinion as long as he doesn’t threaten to harm anyone. I don’t see anything threatening within his email. Give me a break people… they are only WORDS. How does the old saying go?
If anyone has ever dealt with UGA parking services, you’d probably understand his frustration.
ATLdawg, ya dig?
September 29th, 2010
10:50 am
I think people are confusing a lack of civility (use of profanity) with the actual charge – disorderly conduct, disruption, and threats. This issue is a matter of first principles – freedom on speech. The proper way to handle this would have been a sternly worded email from parking services objecting to his language and lack of respect, and then addressing his stated issue – not a trumped up charge cowardly funneled through the campus bureaucracy. Because he certainly had the right to express himself.
ATLdawg, ya dig?
September 29th, 2010
10:52 am
And this response ….
“money
September 23rd, 2010
5:45 am
No, it is not acceptable. The school must simply prohibit the use of profanity in its By-laws/student rules much like the Code of Conduct that high school students must follow that can be found in most HS agendas.”
… is exactly wrong. College campuses are utterly polluted by speech and behavior codes, which have rotted away this generation’s ability to reason and engage in open discourse.
UGABugKiller
September 29th, 2010
10:53 am
As a former active duty Marine and almost graduated student at UGA, I have to take the stance of Matt Stone and Trey Parker when it comes to do bad language.
“What’s the big f—–g deal, b—h?”
Seriously, you people on hear complaining about what you deem as foul language are the same people who have no problem letting your kids obsorb insane amounts of violence in television and movies; more often than not totally unsupervised. But you’re the same people who have a cow when they hear the f-word or see a nipple or *gasp* a woman’s whole breast.
Words and nudity, both shown to have little to no effect on the brain of children, adolescents, and teens. Violent images, however, have shown to have big psychological consequences for children, adolescents, and teens.
Yet, we have no problem with them consuming violent images by the boatload, just as long as there’s no f-words or nipples. PG-13 movies made in the last 10 years would have been rated R 20 years ago, with the blood and violence they’re allowed to show.
But it’s okay. Let’s expose kids to blood and violence just as long as there’s no f-words and nipples. The backward values of some people are insane, hypocritical, and so hyper-Puritan to the point that they’re actually causing far more harm than good.
Some of y’all need to get a life. Words are just that, WORDS. They only have power in that we give them power. What makes the f-word so great is that it’s a noun, adjective, verb, and sometimes, an adverb (if you’re using it a lot). It’s a word commonly used in many walks of life, especially in the life-saving services (military, police, fire fighters, EMTs) in this country. It’s a word that brings camaraderie and good times. And if we were to remember the definition of the word, the word itself describes an activity that is quite enjoyable.
So please, some of y’all, get an effing life.
Or, in my favorite replacement word (given to me by the wise Admiral Adama on BSG):
Some of y’all, get a frakking life. There are much worse things to worry about.
John
September 29th, 2010
10:54 am
So he used the F-bomb? I was unaware that UGA had become like the town from “Footloose”. Yes, Mr. Lovell could have explained his complaint in a more tactful manner, but he did not. The result is he did not get any help from the university and lost his argument. Had he been a bit more civil, he could have probably gotten something done about the situation. Instead he chose to use profane language and received no help. This is not an issue I want the administration or student judiciary focusing on. How about they spend the tuition money and tax dollars teaching and running the school as opposed to arguing whether or not an adult should be able to use profanity.
Billy Ray Valentine
September 29th, 2010
10:59 am
Mike says: “His language has become more and more mainstream. Read any article in Rolling Stone or Men’s Journal.”
Popularity is not validity.
His words are rude and disrespectful. The same message could have been presented in a much more professional manner.
Halsey
September 29th, 2010
10:59 am
“Oh boo hoo! You typed words in an email that I don’t like! You should be charged with a crime!”
What a joke. Do we have freedom of speech or not? Are there certain combinations of letters that should be exempt from the first amendment? Trying to make the argument that using certain words automatically makes something threatening is another joke. If I go outside right now and say “How are you f…ing doing” to somebody, should they be able to charge me with a crime?
UGAprof
September 29th, 2010
11:00 am
I think the student behaved rudely, Parking Services overreacted, and Judicial Programs handled the case correctly. Please don’t criticize them for (correctly) sending him a letter telling him what he was accused of, before investigating. He had a right to receive that information. They investigated and found no actual threat had been made, so they dropped the case.
UGAprof
September 29th, 2010
11:02 am
The University’s computer conduct regulations are on line at http://www.uga.edu/compsec/rules.html. This student did not violate them. There is no list of forbidden words. I think the student behaved rudely, but he did not violate any actual rules of the University, and that’s what Judicial Programs concluded too. Despite what one person in Parking Services thought, UGA has a high level of freedom of speech.
Billy Ray Valentine
September 29th, 2010
11:04 am
Halsey
No you wouldn’t be charged with a crime, the first amendment protects you from that.
But you might get punch right in the mouth.
And I can only imgine you would be the first one to cry “charge that person with a crime”
Accountability…..the first amendment gives you the right to say whatever you like.
However, it does not protect you from how people respond to your words.
UGAprof
September 29th, 2010
11:05 am
One last thing. Due to budget cuts, UGA has lost many of its best employees in service units. I’m just guessing, but that may be why this was handled so clumsily. A wiser person should have caught it at an earlier stage.
cc
September 29th, 2010
11:06 am
he shouldn’t have used cuss words, but cuss words are what is being used against him to squash his free speech. they blame the cuss words but they really were mad about him speaking out which isn’t ’supposed’ to be done in georgia today. more and more people in this area are supposed to think the same and act the same and believe in the same things. scary stuff. read your history.
i sat next to a guy at a restaurant/bar having dinner the other night. he was a truck driver from california. he had a buzz but wasn’t drunk. he was talking about everything under the sun and people started looking at him in hateful ways. i had to tell him that you can’t just talk about anything here in georgia some people will get physically threatening towards you if you don’t think like them. especially the people who say they are patriots and are for freedom or the people that say they know Jesus. he was stunned. but could see the people around him looking at him. the look of disappointment on his face was very sad. one i know too well.
Patrick
September 29th, 2010
11:08 am
To Billy Ray Valentine – Yes, his words were rude and disrespectful… but is that really a crime?
Halsey
September 29th, 2010
11:10 am
Billy Bob
So if certain words offend you, that makes it ok to use violence? I see. Well if that person punched me maybe I would take advantage of my second amendment rights. Yee haw! That’s how your type would do it, right? Because if someone uses words you don’t like, you gotta do what you gotta do! Yee haw!
Halsey
September 29th, 2010
11:16 am
Here’s an idea: maybe it’s time for people to mentally evolve past the stupidity of ‘curse words’ or ‘cuss words’ or whatever you want to call them. I mean, they are just words. Why should certain combinations of letters be taboo? What purpose does that serve? We already have certain words today that would be highly offensive years ago, but are now no big deal to most people. the bottom line is, they’re just words. Get over it.
UGA: Laughing stock of the SEC
September 29th, 2010
11:16 am
Get arrested for actual crimes as football player = stay on football team (unless you’re the 10th one)
Mouth off to parking authority as regular student = charged by student judiciary
Keep it classy UGA
Rob
September 29th, 2010
11:16 am
If his attitude or use of profanity violated the university’s rules of conduct for students, then f*** him.
Billy Ray Valentine
September 29th, 2010
11:17 am
Halsey,
you know nothing of me or who I am, so just keep the “thats how your type would do” out of it.
Never said it would ok to use violence. All I said was a person has the right to speak whatever words they feel fit, and that person MUST be held accountable for those words.
Freedom of speech does not give you a free pass to say whatever you like to no repercusions.
And if you think it does, than I encourage you to go back and read the Declaration of Indepedence.
It seems as though people today try to hide behind the first amendment too often. People say, “oh it says freedom of speech, so I can say whatever I like” it sure does protect your right. HOWEVER, it does not obsolve you from the words you speak.
Bacchus
September 29th, 2010
11:21 am
The kid’s got an entitlement mentality, like so many of the children at UGA. I went there, I graduated less than 10 years ago- I know how it is. Escalating a situation in the real world by dropping F-bombs will get you nowhere except rejected, hung up on, ignored, fired, or arrested. This guy is evidently learning many of life’s lessons the hard way.
Parking Services is known campus-wide among students, faculty, and staff for being an utter nightmare to deal with. They are primarily a revenue stream for the University. But there isn’t room for 35,000 students to bring their cars to campus, so someone’s got to do the dirty work I guess. But as a monopoly, Parking Services employees have an entitlement mentality by attempting to sack anyone who complains or takes action against them. Been there, heard similar stories, etc.
By virtue of freedom of speech, Parking Services should have no ability to seek punishment against the Student other than fining him for whatever citation they issued.
Period.
Samuel L. Jackson
September 29th, 2010
11:22 am
What’s the big motha F***in deal yall.
i’ve made a motha f***in career outta callin’ people motha f***ers.
Nice F***in email Jacob Lovell
Halsey
September 29th, 2010
11:26 am
Billy Bob
You’re trying to change the argument. I never said it’s ok to say whatever you want. I realize it’s illegal to, for example, make threats against someone’s life. That’s not the issue. The issue is that it’s not a crime to say certain words. Is that so hard to understand? Do you get that it’s not a crime for me to say “Oh s…!” when I stub my toe? Do you also get that it is a crime to walk up to a person and say “I’m going to bomb you house”? Two different issues. Don’t try to spin the argument.
JaxDawg
September 29th, 2010
11:29 am
“At the heart of the First Amendment is the recognition of the fundamental importance of the free flow of ideas and opinions on matters of public interest and concern. The freedom to speak one’s mind is not only an aspect of individual liberty – and thus a good unto itself – but also is essential to the common quest for truth and the vitality of society as a whole. We have therefore been particularly vigilant to ensure that individual expressions of ideas remain free from governmentally imposed sanctions.” – NY Times v. Sullivan.
“Falwell argued that the Hustler parody advertisement in this case was so “outrageous” as to take it outside the scope of First Amendment protection. But “outrageous” is an inherently subjective term, susceptible to the personal taste of the jury empaneled to decide a case. Such a standard “runs afoul of our longstanding refusal to allow damages to be awarded because the speech in question may have an adverse emotional impact on the audience”" – Hustler Magazine v. Falwell
Point being, a public institution like the University of Georgia should not be allowed to prohibit the speech of one of its students simply because it did not like the manner in which it was given. There is no question that the University would not have tried to punish the student had the student not included the “offensive” language. The content of the speech concerned a matter of public importance – the availability of parking at public buildings. UGA tried to punish the student only because it believed that the student’s speech was inappropriate, offensive, contemptable, etc., etc.. However, as the Supreme Court said in Hustler, such standards are subjective (as shown clearly on this blog), and the importance of the speech outweighs the concern that someone who hears it might get their feelings hurt.
Having said that, even if the student has the right to make the speech and cannot be punished for it, he still was dumb for having made it because, as many people have stated already, future employers may not be held to the same restrictions that a public institution is.
You must be so proud
September 29th, 2010
11:31 am
This definitely makes me want to hire UGA graduates and send my kids to school there. Right.
I say send this immature potty mouth back to wherever he came from to learn some manners. If he is so unable to express himself in a mature, adult fashion, why is he in “advanced education” anyway?
Mr Lovell should learn some civility from this episode. The punishment fits the crime.
Billy Ray Valentine
September 29th, 2010
11:32 am
oh so certain speech is protected, but other is not?
I never said what Mr. Lovell wrote was a crime, what I said was it was in poor taste and rude and unprofessional.
Do you really think that writing an email with the language he used was going to get parking services to add more sccoter parking?
Or would a more professional approach increased his chances?
Just because the words you are using are protected, doesn’t make them the proper choice.
John
September 29th, 2010
11:34 am
Justice will come when this idiot applies for a job in a few years, and the employer googles him and finds this article.
James
September 29th, 2010
11:35 am
While the students email complaint may be deemed inappropriate, it was not threatening in any way. The best part is his response: “So that’s a no”? Haha.
University of Georgia in the News After Trying to Punish Student for Parking Complaint - FIRE
September 29th, 2010
11:36 am
[...] Banner-Herald's coverage here.)Others make the point that Lovell needn't have cursed in his e-mail. Atlanta Journal-Constitution blogger Maureen Downey posits that Lovell "doesn't subscribe to the old adage about getting better results with honey [...]
You must be so proud
September 29th, 2010
11:38 am
Who is Mr Lovell going to cry to when he moves to NYC for his first job and can’t find a parking space for less than $500 a month? Or Boston, Chicago, LA, or practically any other major urban center on the planet?
Grow up Mr Lovell, the world owes you nothing.
You must be so proud
September 29th, 2010
11:39 am
Nice point John – google is an equalizer
Susie
September 29th, 2010
11:41 am
Yes, the kid’s e-mail was crass and ineffective – no argument there. But it’s not UGA’s place to police language – it’s supposed to be a place of higher education and, to that end, should support freedom of expression, no matter how unsavory or unappealing to the “genteel” masses. UGA threatening disciplinary action over such an e-mail is an act of censorship and repression and a major overreaction.
PappyHappy
September 29th, 2010
11:42 am
One would think that a college student would have the ability to express him/herself adequately without the use of profanity. Is this what he picked up in the public school system, or was he too lazy to articulate his thoughts? In the end, HE SURE DID NOT WIN DID HE??
Would imagine that he will carry a chip on his shoulder until a big guy knocks it off — then he will not doubt find an attorney to file suit. Bottom line, he really sounds like a LOSER!
UGA Alumni
September 29th, 2010
11:44 am
It is not the fact that he is not allowed to use those words, but the utter disrespect, lack of intellegence, and the inability to communicate an issue with a department in a manner that represents himself and his learning community in a positive light.
Kid is an idiot….
Willy Wonka
September 29th, 2010
11:45 am
YOU GET NOTHING!
extremerightwing
September 29th, 2010
11:46 am
sounds like somebody stole his wittle itty bitty bowl of happiness. maybe this bonehead will grow up one day and realize the world doesn’t revolve around him. there are plenty of buses on campus that can take his little butt where ever he needs to go.
Steve
September 29th, 2010
11:47 am
It is started much earlier in life and now pre teens use fracking, freaking and biatch on a daily basis in school with parents seeing nothing wrong and the administration siding with parents.
Jason
September 29th, 2010
12:01 pm
Everyf—ingbody needs to just f—ing, chill the f— out. It’s not like the f—ing f—s in my f—ing generation are f—ing illiterate, we just f—ing express ourselves in a motherf—ing creative way. We are f—ing clever with the way we use certain motherf—ing words, and you f—ing people don’t need to f—ing suppress our f—ing creativity you f—ing f—s. It’s f—ing not very motherf—ing cool the way to want to f —ing take away our form of expression. Think of f—ing f—bombs as salt. F—ing sentences are the f—ing food, and f— is the salt. You want to f—ing eat the f—ing food with no f—ing salt, you go ahead, but I like a little f—ing flavor with my f—ing food. F—.
sissyuga
September 29th, 2010
12:01 pm
Was it the best choice of language? No and he probably would not get very far in the real world with that kind of mouthing off. He will have to learn the hard way. However, I do find it comical and I understand his frustration.
Ken
September 29th, 2010
12:02 pm
Why didn’t they answer his F**king question? A**holes.
bighair
September 29th, 2010
12:13 pm
The guy is a douc, er, jerk. He can say whatever he wants, but he is still a jerk.
Also, Aderhold Hall is home to the College of Education. I hope he isn’t studying to be a teacher. Wouldn’t want him teaching my kids.
Bob
September 29th, 2010
12:17 pm
The idea that this pathetic scooter-riding piece of trash brat is contributing to the marketplace of ideas with his spew of ignorance and obscenity is a telling glimpse of what passes for “education” at “institutions of higher education.”
Higher education my unlawfully carnally knowing derriere.
This has nothing to do with free speech. The punk is out of line, and should be disciplined. He should have his mouth washed out with soap, first, and then should have to stand at Tate and write on a chalk board “I will not cuss” 1,000 times. Then he should be required to either get a real vehicle or use his legs, which probably need to be strengthened, anyway.
And by the way, I am writing this as someone who was an arch-nemesis of UGA Parking Services in my time. This is not written because I love parking at UGA.
Brandon
September 29th, 2010
12:18 pm
In total (undergrad and grad school) I attended UGA for ten years, and just graduated in July 2010. Parking Services has always been the abosolute WORST entity to deal with at the University… Completely unreasonble. Not only is parking HORRENDOUS, if you ever complain about getting one of their $40 tickets they will be very passive aggressive and threaten to do things (like report you to student judiciary). I’m not defending the way the guy went about it, but I don’t know of a single person who has ever had a good experience there. When I first started there, you could buy a “commuter” pass for $25, and park in lots all over campus for the whole year. When I left I was paying $360 for my year-long pass, and I could park in ONE spot. There should really be a class-action lawsuit against their ticketing policy…. I could go on, but I’m just glad that I don’t have to park there anymore.
nofriendofuga
September 29th, 2010
12:21 pm
“…we could turn UGA into a cow pasture and the Statehouse into a homeless shelter.”
Wonderful idea! Just do it!
Debra
September 29th, 2010
12:26 pm
I teach at an online university and email is a regular medium of communication. As such, the Student Code of Conduct includes appropriate communication as policy that students need to follow. While there certainly isn’t a list of “forbidden words’ – (which I certainly don’t advocate) – students who are recommended for Student Teaching and Internships are evaluated on their professionalism…and if I were to receive such an email from a student, it would certainly affect how I viewed this student’s professionalism and common sense. No, the language is not “illegal” – but that doesn’t mean the student shouldn’t be held responsible for their lack of common sense. Freedom of Speech doesn’t mean freedom from all possible criticism and critique.
UGA Alum
Allen
September 29th, 2010
12:31 pm
The kid mouthed off in a manner more befitting a 5 year old than a presumptive adult, but it wasn’t threatening and parking services over-reacted. I’ve found the best response to the rude and profane is the calm and formal, with a touch of humor. For example: “Mr. __________, thanks for your email. We sincerely regret the f***ing inconvenience and are looking into the f***ing problem. Please let us know if you need additional f***ing information. Sincerely, The A**holes at Parking Services.” That might at least give him pause to reflect, and maybe even a good laugh, which we all need more of!