https://triblive.com/local/carnegie-mellon-temporarily-shuts-down-the-fence-in-wake-of-anti-trump-message/
Carnegie Mellon temporarily shuts down The Fence in wake of anti-Trump message
Tensions over free speech continue to mount at Carnegie Mellon University as President Farnam Jahanian on Wednesday announced he was temporarily forbidding any new messages from being painted on an iconic campus fence that has served for a century as a student billboard.
The decision was prompted by controversy over a provocative message targeting President Donald Trump that was painted on The Fence ahead of Tuesday’s Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit, which was held on the CMU campus.
A group of university students, led by members of the College Democrats, painted a message on The Fence stating “No Rapists On Our Campus,” and “Shame On You.” The students told TribLive it was directed at Trump.
“The Fence tradition has long symbolized the power of visible expression representing diverse viewpoints. But in recent years, it has too often been used to broadcast polarized, one-sided messaging — often anonymous, sometimes ad hominem, and increasingly disconnected from meaningful dialogue,” Jahanian wrote in a letter sent Wednesday to students and faculty. “This most recent instance crossed a line — not because of its viewpoint, but because of its personal, unaccountable nature, which undermined the spirit of civil discourse that had led up to it.”
The summit drew Trump, members of his cabinet, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and hundreds of tech, energy and business leaders to the Oakland campus.
CMU painted over the message. On Tuesday, students repainted it. Once campus officials learned the message had been restored, Gina Casalegno, CMU’s dean of students and vice president of student affairs, informed the group that The Fence’s message would be painted over once again.
In his letter, Jahanian said that leading up to the summit, the university had supported the students’ right to use The Fence as a message board for free speech. After consulting with the Secret Service, CMU even advocated for keeping The Fence outside the restricted security perimeter, according to Jahanian.
Access to The Fence was shut down late Tuesday afternoon, when a stretch of Forbes Avenue in Oakland in front of CMU was shut down due to Trump’s impending arrival.
Jahanian along with other Carnegie Mellon leaders decided to continue the restriction until at least next week while they work with faculty and student groups to determine a path forward.
“What makes moments like yesterday so concerning — when the spirit of accountability and mutual respect is lost, the opportunity for genuine dialogue breaks down,” the letter said. “Just in the past academic year, there have been five instances where student government and the university administration struggled to determine the right approach to offensive messages.”
Jahanian cited a message on The Fence during commencement weekend that “equated ‘Nazism,’ ‘Zionism’ and ‘Hindutva,’ which caused hurt and pain to many.”
Multiple CMU student-run political organizations on campus took to social media to slam the decision.
“The decision to censor made by the administration is an uncharacteristic and deeply concerning (breach) of commitment, as well as the trust it has fostered,” said the statement, written by Anthony Cacciato, president of the CMU College Republicans. ”In light of recent statements made by President Jahanian, we are further concerned that the administration may choose to further curtail speech with new restrictions on speech with The Fence.”
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Carnegie Mellon College Republicans (@cmurepubs)CMU College Progressives called for Jahanian to resign from his post immediately. They cited an incident from Tuesday night in which summit protesters were pepper sprayed by Pittsburgh police and forcibly pushed out of the intersection of Forbes Avenue and South Craig Street by Allegheny County and Pittsburgh police who had declared they were participating in an unlawful assembly.
No one was arrested.
“Jahanian sent out a rambling universitywide email condemning students who peacefully opposed welcoming Trump,” the post said. “He failed to mention that students participating in ‘peaceful protest’ were violently attacked with pepper spray by state thugs.”
Cara Cruz, a Pittsburgh police spokesperson, said demonstrators were blocking Forbes and confronting attendees leaving the summit. They refused orders to disperse, shoved officers, jabbed toward them with protest signs and tried to pull one of them into the crowd, Cruz said.
Two officers deployed two bursts of pepper spray, she said.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Carnegie Mellon College Progressives (@the.cmcp)The university’s College Democrats posted on social media Wednesday criticizing not only CMU leadership’s decision to censor The Fence but also for not allowing them to protest the summit on campus. They said the university cited “a lack of police support to ensure the safety of protesters.”
View this post on Instagram A post shared by CMU Democrats (@cmudems)The CMU College Democrats said three of them met Wednesday afternoon with Jahanian and Gina Casalegno, CMU’s dean of students and vice president of student affairs.
River Sepinuck, the group’s communications chair, said the conversation was “unproductive” because the College Democrats felt they were talked down to.
CMU officials Thursday declined to provide further statement beyond Jahanian’s letter.
Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)