The University of Texas is backing down on its sign policy after the words “free speech” got bantered around. The school intended on punishing two students, Connor Kincaid and his cousin/roommate Blake Kincaid, for refusing to remove signs supporting Barack Obama from their room. The guys were even barred from registering for spring classes thanks to the poster problem.
 

All of a sudden, though, UT is changing its tune. The school president, Bill Powers, released a written statement saying that he was, in effect, banning the ban on signs. Maybe he saw how poorly an anti-sign crusade went over at University of Virginia sporting events.
 

Regardless, a committee is now being formed to study the policy. The Houston Chronicle explains the situation:

"This is an important free speech issue," said Connor Kincaid, a 20-year-old junior who claimed during the hearing that he saw a sign supporting Republican candidate John McCain in the window of another dorm.

The university says the dispute had nothing to do with either candidate. UT has had a policy for more than 10 years forbidding the posting of signs in dorm windows in order to control the look of the campus and avoid the appearance that the university is supporting any candidate, said Jeff Graves, an associate vice president for UT legal affairs.

Would anyone honestly think that an Obama sign in a student’s window implies that the whole school is feeling the Obamamania? They better hope no one puts up the iconic “College” poster… people might think UT condones… college.