Hamalian criticized over First Amdt. remark

The First Amendment Task Force blasted Undergraduate Assembly Chairperson Seth Hamalian yesterday, accusing him of "not recognizing any urgency in addressing violations of student civil liberties at Penn." In a prepared statement the fledgling Task Force said "the undergraduate student body should be disturbed and disappointed" at the actions of its "elected leader." The release was a response to Hamalian's statements in Tuesday's Daily Pennsylvanian, which questioned the point of a resolution calling on the Commission on Strengthening the Community to designate First Amendment Rights as a "priority." Hamalian, a College junior, had said that it "didn't make sense" to suggest that the First Amendment be a priority. The Commission, headed by University Board of Trustees Vice Chairperson Gloria Chisum, is charged with evaluating "core community values" such as diversity, free speech, and examining race relations and "interperson" relations on campus. UA member and First Amendment Task Force co-founder Dan Schorr, who authored the resolution, reiterated his concern over Hamalian's words. "His statement undermines the task that we have set out to perform," said Schorr, who is also a Daily Pennsylvanian columnist. "I didn't think that he as chair would speak out against it. But if that's the way he feels, I'm glad he made his thoughts public." Hamalian fired back last night, saying his position hadn't changed at all. "My comment still stands because it was related specifically to the Commission on Strengthening the Community," he said. "I recognize plenty of urgency in addressing violations of students' civil liberties and it is clear to me that this task force is making a sincere effort to address these concerns. However, the Commission's job is to strengthen the community." He added that "encouraging dialogue, communication and cooperation between groups should be priorities of the Commission" rather than First Amendment rights. UA member Dan Debicella, who is working with Schorr on the task force, disagreed. "I think it's obvious that this community needs to have its First Amendment rights guaranteed," he said. "If they're not, we can't have an intellectual and academic community. Debicella added that he was "troubled" by the idea that "anyone thinks that First Amendment rights aren't a priority, especially in light of the events of the last year."