Left in the Dark: Flag Issues Revisited
By this point everyone has heard about the controversy surrounding the flag last fall and might even have witnessed students raising it with the sun and folding it at dusk every day since early October. The issue was first brought to light in the September 2007 issue of The Phoenix in an article written by Josh Bellis, but the College, after promising to amend the careless disrespect for our flag, has dragged its feet and made no progress.
Highlighting many concerns lamented by our community for years, the article addressed the lack of reverence and respect shown to the American Flag. Bellis expressed concern over the treatment of the flag when it is taken down, usually wadded up, and dragged across the ground before being thrown in to the back of a truck. However, the most alarming problem was the frequency in which, after being carelessly raised, it has been left to fly upside down!
Fortunately, Bellis also offered some solutions to the problem. He suggested that students observing campus service personnel lowering the flag offer their help. Another idea was that a campus group be charged with the responsibility of caring for the flag. Installing lights on the pole seemed the most practical solution to the problem because it would require little maintenance since the flag could be flown day and night. Acknowledging it was unlikely that the college would move quickly to implement these solutions, the Wabash Conservative Union pledged to raise the money to install the lights on their own accord. The image of an upside down American Flag flying high above the mall on the cover of the September issue (accompanied by a letter) sent a clear message to Wabash alumni, who quickly jumped to the Union’s aid and, apparently, to the telephone. No more than two days after the periodicals were being delivered to alumni mailboxes did the Conservative Union learn that the College was now spearheading the installation project at their own expense. Mission accomplished—or so we though.
Days after celebrating what we thought was a victory for the entire campus, we learned it was not over. On a rainy October day, students witnessed a campus service worker lowering the flag and, seemingly so he wouldn’t get wet from holding the flag against his chest, dragged it along the ground across the mall and across the street before tossing it into the back of a truck. Thinking that the end of these practices was almost here, The Phoenix thought that instead of making another big deal out of the issue, it would be better to handle the situation by taking over the responsibilities of caring for the flag at least until the installation of the lights After all, two students are better suited to fold the flag and keep it off the ground than a lone groundskeeper. The reason that I have now changed my mind and decided to write about the image students were greeted with on that rainy day, is because that was four months ago, and—aside from the fact that the flag has never been flown upside down under our watch—nothing has been accomplished.
After the leaves had fallen and while the Monon Bell Classic was approaching, we started asking where the lights were and why we were still putting the flag up and taking it down every day. Brandon Stewart, then Editor-In-Chief, contacted campus services. It was an issue of digging and connecting the wires was the response he received, so Stewart offered labor from The Phoenix staff. It was turned down. At the end of November, over two months after students and alumni had celebrated the coming installation of new lights, the College had yet to adhere to its promise. Again, The Phoenix offered to pay for the installation, and they were turned down once again.
It is now the end of January and we are left to wonder if the College ever plans to fulfill its pledge. Was the decision to install the lights motivated by civic responsibility after unfortunate circumstances were finally brought to light, or was it just a fast solution to douse the brush fire started by the disturbing images brought to our community and alumni? One thing is for certain, the College has not made a good faith effort to litigate the problems. If it had been left up to The Phoenix in September as originally proposed, Phoenix staff members would not still be raising and lowering the flag. Instead, an illuminated symbol of our nation would already be adorning our campus night skyline. If the College had hoped we would forget or grow apathetic, they are wrong; putting it up every morning is a stark reminder of their lack of motivation. We are happy that the College acted so swiftly in making the decision to install the lights in September, but you can rest assured we will continue “motivating” appropriate parties until the project is completed.
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