In a drastic motion that has FIU Art students and art aficionados outraged, the Board of Trustees (BOT) have decided to censor or remove all artwork they deem to be offensive on FIU’s Modesto Madique Campus. Beginning in Spring 2012, this official Chapter 100 University-Wide Governance and Guidance Regulation will be put in effect. The new university-wide regulation was decided during a recent BOT committee meeting in which the definition for acceptable on-campus art was changed drastically.

The new definition seems to focus on artwork that has any resemblance to or even hints toward a phallus. A glance at the BOT’s wording in their official statement shows their clear, almost obsessive, focus on phallic artwork, “We will not tolerate any artwork that depicts (however abstractly) the human phallus, or animals and the phallus thereof.” The statement goes on to read, “It’s improper to have such giant, unrealistic depictions of any type of phallic symbol. Quite frankly, it makes us feel inadequate and unfulfilled as overseers of decency on campus.”

An example of unacceptable artwork on MMC. (click to enlarge)

Bacon reporters asked students what they thought of the art the BOT finds offensive, and the decision to censor or remove the art.

“Yes, it’s deplorable,” said Armando Ruiz, a graduate student in the Economics program, “Every day I walk past here and I have to stare at that giant shlong.” Armando refers, of course, to the now famous Marty’s Cube, a clear example of artwork the BOT finds unacceptable – as stated in their regulation announcement. “That ridiculous spinning motion, it’s just too much. Not only is it so overtly phallic, but they had to go and add the all too familiar coitus-like motion to it. It makes me sick just thinking about the on-campus field trips where children are brought to see the artwork. I’m glad the BOT is getting rid of eyesores like that.”

Not all students agree with the BOT’s judgment of on-campus art, however.

“This is not right,” opined Shiva Narahana, a sophomore Art student with a focus on pottery, “They can’t censor the free expression on this campus. We should be able to have giant statues of whatever we want, including, but not limited to, phalluses.” She went on to say, “If they are censoring phalluses in art, it will only be a matter of time before they start censoring students’ phalluses. Wait, I said that wrong.” Unfortunately, we had to end our interview with Shiva there.

Bacon reporters were also fortunate enough to get a phone interview with the vice chair of the BOT, Michele Anler. When asked whether this university-wide regulation would eventually affect FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus, she responded, “There’s another FIU campus?” She was silent for a while, then told us she had to hang up. The conversation ended there.

Example of acceptable artwork on MMC. (Picture from BOT’s Instagram account.) (click to “enlarge”)

The BOT say they plan on removing a majority of the offensive artwork, but they claim the spaces will not remain empty.

“We plan on replacing the unacceptable artwork with less offensive pieces. As an interim placeholder for many of the offending pieces we will place a long, hard, shiny terracotta-colored pole. The new shaft structures will serve as a symbol of the fertility of the creative minds that reside here at FIU, while not offending in any way.”

The BOT went on to praise the artwork that is acceptable on campus, listing those totem-pole-like pieces in front of the Blue and Gold Garages as “very vibrant and acceptable pieces” that they would “like to see more pieces like that filling the empty artistic holes at MMC.”