Valdosta State student, expelled for posting “threatening” flyers, criticizes administration
Mar 3rd, 2008 by Rob
A student at Valdosta State University in Georgia, expelled last year for posting activist flyers on Facebook, says he still doesn’t understand why the administration took such extreme action against him.
The student, Hayden Barnes, was attempting to raise awareness about a new parking garage development being built on campus when he posted the flyer in question—which caused alarm, the university said, because Barnes referenced the president’s name in dubbing the garage the “S.A.V.E.-Zaccari Memorial Parking Garage.” The school construed the word “memorial” as a threat, and without notice posted a letter of expulsion on Barnes’ door. The expulsion was later reversed, but Barnes decided not to return to Valdosta and requested that the school reimburse him for moving expenses.
Barnes continues to give interviews about the incident these days, referring to the Valdosta administrators’ actions as attempts to quash potential negative attention that accompanied Barnes’ advocacy.
