President Barack Obama‘s Aug. 9 speech at the University of Texas at Austin was intended to focus national attention on higher education. However, the arrest of noted local environmental activist Robin Schneider and three others outside the speech at Gregory Gym has turned an uncomfortable spotlight on UT’s free speech policies and its commitment to reducing waste.
Schneider, the executive director of Texas Campaign for the Environment, was arrested by UT Police while asking people standing in line for the speech to sign a petition opposing UT’s latest branded product: H2Orange, bottled water sold in a plastic container shaped like the UT Tower. Part of the profits from sale of the recyclable bottle will go to fund scholarships, and the manufacturers have said that they plan to eventually produce refillable plastic and steel containers. However, environmentalists have criticized the product for encouraging the wasteful practice of drinking bottled water. TCE program assistant Stacy Guidry, who was with Schneider when she was arrested, said, “While fundraising using marketing creativity is to be applauded, sustainability has to be factored in.”
Schneider was arrested for allegedly violating UT board of regents’ rules about demonstrations on campus. According to affidavits released by UT-Austin, three other protesters were also charged for violating the designated “free speech zone” set up by the Secret Service for the event. Anti-war activist Chanda Seymour was arrested for using a bullhorn on campus in violation of UT rules about amplified sound, and Texans for Accountable Government Executive Director John Bush was arrested after the speech finished. Texas State University student and San Marcos mayoral candidate Daniel McCarthy was arrested while carrying a foam tombstone that said, “R.I.P. Free Republic.” All four, including Schneider, were asked repeatedly by police to move to the prearranged area.
However, not everyone who had been taken into custody was protesting. Aaron Williams, the sole UT student arrested, told police that he hadn’t managed to get a ticket for the event, so he scaled a fence to get into Gregory Gym to catch the speech. All five have been charged with criminal trespassing, a class B misdemeanor.
Schneider was released without bail eight hours after her arrest and is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 23. However, she has already talked to UT President Bill Powers about his endorsement of H2Orange and the restrictions about protesting on campus. Until they change the rule, Guidry said, “It’s stifling free speech.”
This article appears in August 13 • 2010.
