Pittsburgh college: 'Racist' Web site doesn't appear to violate school policy

By The Associated Press

04.16.01

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PITTSBURGH — A University of Pittsburgh student who operates an independent Web site criticized as racist will be in compliance with school research policies so long as he is paying for the site himself, the school said late last week.

In a letter sent to the American Civil Liberties Union, which is representing freshman Matt Schiros, a school lawyer said the university only suggested the Web site might be in violation of school policies because Schiros told officials his research was sponsored by an unidentified outside organization.

Schiros said on April 13 that he was not receiving funding or support from any outside group.

At issue is Schiros' www.amiblackornot.com Web site, in which he asks visitors to rate "how black" the people pictured on the site are by using racial slurs. Schiros, who has acknowledged that the site is "racially offensive," maintains that it is part of independent research he is conducting into unpopular views on campuses.

The Web site does not use university computers or its Internet server.

School officials initially said they could do nothing about the site, despite complaints from black students and other minorities on campus, because it constituted free expression.

But when Schiros allegedly told university administrators the site was "research" the school told him — without specifically mentioning the Web site — that all research involving "human subjects" must be approved by the campus Institutional Review Board. Any research that hadn't been approved was ordered to stop, the school said.

The ACLU then got involved, with Witold Walczak, executive director of the Pittsburgh chapter, saying the university had no right to tell Schiros to shut down or change the site, if that's what it was asking him to do.

Walczak also told the school Schiros' activities were not being funded by any outside group.

On April 13, a letter from associate general counsel Paul Supowitz to Walczak said the student had said in the past his research was part of a project being paid for by an outside group.

"(If) you are now able to represent on behalf of Matt that his activities are not research which has been sponsored or paid for by an outside entity, then it does not appear that any University policies are implicated," the letter to Walczak said.

The letter included with it an affidavit to be signed by Schiros, 19, of Cleveland, saying that although he had previously told the school he was conducting sponsored research at the university that he now promises that is not the case.

Both Schiros and Walczak said he wouldn't sign the form.

"I don't feel the need," said Schiros. "I already told them it's not sponsored research. This is just them trying to back out gracefully."

Robert Hill, a spokesman for the university, said if Schiros doesn't confirm that he is not conducting sponsored research, the school will presume he is not doing so based on Walczak's comments.

The university said in the letter that it "placed the utmost value on and respect for the First Amendment rights of all members of the University community."

Hill, however, refused to specifically discuss the letter unless he was told how the Associated Press had obtained the document.

Schiros says he doesn't believe he ever told administrators his Web site was sponsored, but doesn't see the difference even if he did.

"I'm not using their facilities or resources," he said. "I can do whatever I want to."

Walczak said he was encouraged that, in his view, the university had recognized there was a misunderstanding and that they appeared to be willing to drop the matter.

"At an institution of higher learning all viewpoints regardless how offensive, hateful and controversial should be subject to scrutiny, dialogue and debate," Walczak said.

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