Last night, the College’s head of communications denied Portland Press Herald photographer Brianna Soukup entry to Pickard Theater to report on “October 7 The Play” because of worries surrounding privacy. The Orient’s photographer also had difficulty entering the theater. This prevention of journalistic access to otherwise public events is unprecedented and alarming.

While the privacy of those in attendance of “October 7 The Play” seemed of top concern to the College last night, this concern has not been present at other politically contentious events on campus. The Portland Press Herald’s reporting on last February’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) encampment featured identifiable photos of students from both inside and outside of the building. This inconsistency in policy is confusing. Why does the College assume it needs to protect the identities of those attending a public event, despite the playwright’s insistence that the photographer be allowed in?

The production’s creators and on-campus sponsors have advertised “October 7 The Play” as a means to promote a perspective they argue has been absent from Bowdoin and other colleges and universities. The circumstances surrounding last night’s performance, particularly the issue of journalistic access as well as the anonymous funding sources, instead restricts the development of productive civil discourse at Bowdoin.

According to an email obtained by the Orient, the play cost around $80,000 to bring to campus. The funding was sourced privately in an effort spearheaded by an anonymous alum. The price tag of this event would be unfathomable for most student organizations. This privilege gives the Bowdoin College Conservatives an unfair advantage in promoting its views.

This week, the College’s initiative to strengthen dialogue on campus began with the first lecture in the Viewpoint Exchange program. Despite efforts like this to promote campus discourse, College initiatives alone are an insufficient means to defuse political tension and promote productive forms of disagreement. We need student groups to lead the charge and for the administration to support them in doing so, especially when the only group organizing against the worsening genocide in Palestine is suspended.

We understand that the College finds itself in something of a bind. Administrators are understandably on edge about receiving media attention following the encampment, the ongoing Congressional investigation and most recently the cancellation of the student-led vigil due to safety concerns. However, protecting the reputation of the institution is not the same as protecting its students.

The motive behind the College’s restriction of media coverage last night is unclear. Is the College attempting to protect its own image? That of its students? Both? What we do know is that shielding the College from controversy cannot come at the expense of an open campus culture.

Fostering a culture of productive free expression is a directive that extends beyond Bowdoin’s administration. Student organizations, especially those with political or activist leanings, also bear a responsibility to organize events transparently and fairly.

We call for clarity and consistency both in the College’s approach to managing these increasingly frequent flashpoints and in how student groups choose to organize in the Bowdoin bubble and beyond.

This editorial represents the majority opinion of the Editorial Board, which is composed of Abdullah Hashimi, Elinor Hershkowitz, Rin Pastor, Kaya Patel, John Schubert, Catalina Escobedo and Caitlin Panicker.