Student organization placed on interim suspension for ‘disregarding university directives’ and use of PFLP logo

Josie Stewart, Nicole Nowicki
Sat, 30 Dec 2023 21:05:11 +0000
Campus, Instagram Page, News, Central Ohio Revolutionary Socialists, CORS, first amendment, free speech, investigation, Israel-Hamas war, melissa shivers, ohio state student organization, Peter Moehler, PFLP, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, student organization

Central Ohio Revolutionary Socialists, a registered student organization at Ohio State, was placed on an interim suspension for disobeying university directives and use of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine logo on flyers. Credit: Lantern File Photo

Central Ohio Revolutionary Socialists was suspended by Ohio State on Dec. 13 after the university determined reasonable cause that the organization’s activities “pose a significant risk of substantial harm to the safety or security of [its] organization’s members, other members of the university community or to university property,” according to the group.

In response, CORS — a student organization registered with Ohio State that?“aims to bring together students interested in left/progressive politics” — issued a statement claiming that Ohio State is joining the list of universities around the United States who have stopped pro-Palestine groups on their campuses. Though CORS looks to address several social issues, according to Ohio State’s directory, much of their programming has recently been in support of Palestinians in the midst of the Israel-Hamas war.

Ohio State spokesperson Dave Isaacs said the club is prohibited from participating in or holding activities as a registered student organization while under investigation.?

According to Isaacs, the club was reported for several violations, including “disregarding university directives, being non-responsive to meeting requests from the organization’s advisors and university leaders, and dissemination of materials that include a logo associated with a designated terrorist organization.”

Isaacs said the logo used is associated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which is designated as a terror organization by the United States and the U.N.

CORS did not address the use of the PFLP logo in their statement and did not respond on the record to a request for comment by the time of publication. While the group did not refute the other accusations in the statement, they said specific content was not given to their leaders and none warrant a significant threat to anyone at the university.

According to CORS’ statement, these directives included disobeying rules regarding “posting temporary fliers, reserving meeting space, using classroom space during a prohibited period.”

The university has guidelines for space usage and signage that applies to demonstrations, which Senior Vice President for Student Life Melissa Shivers shared in an email on Nov. 29. According to the email, reservations are required for gatherings over 100 when a group expects full usage of a space and signage should be limited to open posting boards and kiosks.?

Two days prior to the suspension, a post accusing CORS of “glorif[ying] terrorism and call[ing] for the genocide of Jews” was posted to three Instagram pages — @israelwaroom, @jewhatedb and @antisemitismtoday — amassing nearly 2,000 likes. Images of the student organization’s flyers, including one for the “Intifada, Revolution, and the path to a Free Palestine” event, were included in the post.

“Flyers for the event promote violence and include drawings of terrorists armed with assault rifles; many of the flyers also featured the logo of the PFLP, an internationally-designated terrorist group,” the post reads.?

The student organizations issued three demands to the university in the statement: to immediately reinstate the organization, to conduct an honest investigation, if one is carried out and to uphold freedom of speech for all students.

Ohio State has sent out several notices to students surrounding free speech, including one on Dec. 12 from then-interim university President Peter Mohler, reminding students of care and compassion on campus.

“We are steadfastly committed to freedom of speech and expression — this is part of our fiber as a public institution,” the email read. “We can disagree, but we can do that in ways that respect and honor each other’s experiences and feelings.”