Indiana University School of Journalism

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Photo by Jessica Haney

SPJ members are planning a First Amendment awareness event for spring. Vice president Elvia Malagon (left) and Stephanie Doctrow listened to other members’ ideas about the fundraiser.

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The students in the IU Society of Professional Journalists chapter want to take away your First Amendment rights.

But only through the use of free food and a festival aiming to educate the Bloomington community about the First Amendment.

Monday, the members met to discuss and plan for the First Amendment Free Food Festival, among other things. Vice president Elvia Malagon said the group wants to have the festival sometime in April, before Little 500 festivities.

Ideas for the First Amendment Free Food Festival began in early September, when Malagon and SPJ president MaryJane Slaby went to the SPJ national conference. At a workshop for student leaders, they heard about the First Amendment festival.

“I fell in love with the idea, it’s just so unique,” Malagon said. She said that the festival is something other campus chapters have conducted with great success.

“It’s a big goal this year to have the First Amendment Free Food Festival, and hopefully it will get bigger as the years progress,” Malagon said.

At the First Amendment Free Food Festival, attendees are welcome to the food, but only if they agree to give up their First Amendment rights, Malagon explained. They sign a sheet agreeing to the release of their rights, then while eating, are allowed to talk only about certain topics. A “goon” squad patrols the conversations to make sure no one is talking about topics protected by the First Amendment, such as religion or politics.

At this point, SPJ members are brainstorming about where to have the festival and whom they need to start contacting in order to obtain the food. Malagon said SPJ hopes to partner with both the IU Public Relations Student Society of America and the IU National Association of Black Journalists on the project.

Malagon said other campuses have seen increases in interest each year they stage the festival, with people lining up to wait for it to begin.

“People should know you can get free food, but more importantly, it’s a chance to explore the First Amendment,” Malagon said. “Not a lot of people know what the First Amendment is, so it is a chance for people to reconsider the First Amendment and to realize its significance. A lot of people go on with their lives and it’s something we take for granted, the freedoms we have in this country.”

The members also are sponsoring a high school essay contest throughout the schools in Indiana and are promoting the contest at the various high schools. In March, they will receive the essays, sort through them and pick a winner to go on the next level of the contest.

With the SPJ regional meeting in March, Malagon said the chapter is looking to raise money to help cover the costs of traveling to Chicago for the event. The members are thinking of selling either pizza or hot chocolate outside the academic buildings.

Anyone interested in joining SPJ to work on these projects is welcome to sign up or get more information by e-mailing Malagon or Slaby.

The next SPJ chapter meeting will be held on a Monday sometime in February.

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