Chalk University: Back in Action?

“The Chalk and Science Education, Since 1831.”

Chalking is back! I think?

Yesterday, when I posted a bunch of half-naked Michael Roth clones, I mentioned the resurgence of chalking on campus this weekend and alluded to the upcoming tenth anniversary of President Doug Bennet’s 2002 university moratorium on chalking. The president’s official chalking ban followed in 2003, with extensive coverage in the New York Times and NPR among other media outlets. That was nine years ago. Now what?

Chalking—formally a focal point of Wesleyan activist life—has made only a few sparse appearances during my time at Wes, including National Coming Out Day in 2009. When Roth referred to global warming-related chalking as “graffiti” and “a dumb way to articulate [concerns]” in 2007,  he was hit with a veritable shitstorm of comments. But what about the chalk?

It’s back, somewhat, in time for WesFest 2012—bigger and bolder than I’ve seen in the past three years at Wes. Some slogans question rising tuition. Others center on chalking itself, its contentious history on campus. At least one nominates Wesleying’s own A-Batte for WSA president. Regardless, props to activist groups and various unaffiliated students for making this happen. See below for a brief gallery of WesFest chalking, and do visit the Hermes chalking site for an incredibly extensive history of chalking at Wes. For specific advice on how to chalk, check this old ACB list.

What say you?
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7 thoughts on “Chalk University: Back in Action?”

    2. Admin's Fault

      A maintenance guy I talked to told me that while it’s a big waste of his time, he works the same hours and gets paid the same whether he washes chalk or does something else. He told me he spends 4 hours a day washing chalk. That’s not the fault of chalkers, that’s on the administration for choosing to use their resources poorly.

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