BYU students delay program protest

PROVO — Worried about angering administrators at the private school, students at Brigham Young University who were planning a demonstration this week to decry the university's decision to dissolve the bachelor's of social work program have decided to delay their planned protests.

Group leader Marc Gilchrist, 29, of Orem, a first-year student in BYU's master's of social work program, said he became concerned about going through with the protests after speaking with some professors in the College of Family Home and Social Sciences.

Gilchrist said they told him to "be careful" and that some BYU administrators had "lost patience" with him and other students.

"It made me scared," Gilchrist said. "I felt threatened. My name is on the top of the list of leading a protest."

He is now worried a demonstration could hurt BYU's social work program but also said he doesn't want to get in trouble with the university. Gilchrist said he hadn't checked with BYU administration about the rules regarding protests on campus.

Gilchrist said he and other students were planning to wear gags around campus as they walked to and from class this week. He said he didn't think it would be "a big deal."

The students were also talking about having a student stand on a square on campus for 24 hours, to be replaced by another student, as a gesture of resistance.

Protests are allowed on BYU campus, but the university has specific rules. There is a process for applying for a protest permit.

Students must go to the Student Life Office and fill out a request form, which is then sent to the dean of students. If the students are representing a club or specific group, they must have a signature from their student adviser.

The dean then reviews the application, especially the time and place of the proposed event, to ensure there are no conflicts. The group is then notified whether their request has been accepted.

BYU spokeswoman Carri P. Jenkins says BYU doesn't get many requests for protests — usually about three or four each school year.

The student protesters are allowed to have signs and chant, if they are pre-approved to do so and as long as they are in compliance with the school's Honor Code. The group couldn't target a specific student or faculty member. And they couldn't make false statements, Jenkins explained.