Students at University of South Florida St. Petersburg are concerned after officials removed several flags from the student center, including those for Black Lives Matter and pride.
Officials said the flags came down after visitors raised questions about them.
In a statement, USF spokeswoman Carrie O’Brion wrote that those questions led the administration “to look into [the] processes” of selecting all flags. She said the timing worked because the space is undergoing a planned renovation.
“We are temporarily removing all flags until we can convene a group of students, faculty and staff to solicit their input on all aspects of the renovation during the fall semester,” O’Brion wrote.
But Black and queer student organizations are questioning the change.
“It is scary because for some students this is their only safe space,” said Skye Smith, president of the Pride Alliance at USF St. Pete. “For those who are not out at home… or can’t be their authentic self there… it is also scary for kids to come in on tours and think that ‘oh, maybe this campus is not accepting’.”
Most club meetings are held in the Office of Multicultural Affairs inside the student center, but it’s not clear whether flags could still be displayed inside that office.
She has yet to get a response from the university.
“It is really disheartening to see a space that we have created for marginalized communities, like the queer and Black communities, is being changed,” Smith said. “We are just being silenced.”
Similar flags were still being displayed in offices at the Marshall Student Center on USF’s Tampa campus.
The Black Student Association (BSA) posted on Instagram on Tuesday that they did not agree with the decision to take the flags down on St. Petersburg’s campus.
A banner showcasing USF’s #SeenValuedHerd campaign will temporarily replace the flags, O’Brion wrote in her email. The university slogan seeks to make all members of USF feel welcome, she said.
Smith thinks it might not be enough. All prospective students pass through the student center while touring the university. She said it is important that they see they are represented.
“They are placed right where you can see them when you walk into the doors, which is how it should be,” Smith said. “It should be there to show that this is a safe place.”
