Dear Editor,
I read with interest both the article “Proposal Limits Loud Events On Campus” and the editorial “Sound Restrictions, Amphitheater Don’t Mix” in the March 25 issue of the Spinnaker. I would like to provide a little additional background to the debate.

The current policy proposal includes only one minor change: the addition of the phrase “or any outdoor space adjacent to classroom buildings.” The regulations with reference to times of day and number of events allowed already existed in a policy developed with student input in 1998, and revised in 2001.

Faculty welcomes the opportunity to dialogue with students and administrators on this important issue. We certainly understand the importance of music in culture and the college experience, but we remain committed to classroom learning as well.

Perhaps there is room to negotiate – maybe three times a semester is too restrictive – but allowing 15-30 events per semester (as suggested in the editorial) could conceivably interrupt every session of a class.

Clearly amplified sound events need to be scheduled across different times, different days and different places.

Let us come together and propose a policy that respects the social, cultural and learning needs of students.

Kathy Robinson, PhD, RN
President, UNF Faculty Association