A University of Rochester student is accusing the college of violating his First Amendment rights after a residence hall adviser reportedly forced him to remove a Confederate flag from his dorm room window over the “discomfort" it was causing.

Matthew Papay, a 19-year-old sophomore from Weaverville, N.C., says the flag was hanging in the window of his residence hall on campus in early October when graduate house adviser Catherine Christian told him to remove it, the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle reports.

In an Oct. 11 email to Papay, Christian told him that the flag violated the fire code, claiming it was acting as a drape, which is against housing policy.

Papay then removed the flag and replaced it with a paper version after confirming with fire marshals that the new one would comply with regulations.

But Christian responded again, saying that her supervisor told her that people were complaining about the Confederate flag.

"I understand that your flag is up out of pride and you can feel free to leave it up, but on a wall of your room," Christian wrote, according to the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. "It should not be in the window because of the discomfort it is causing people and because it does not necessarily represent the heritage of the whole house."

Papay’s roommate removed the flag and it has not been hung since.

"I am from North Carolina and the school is blatantly ignoring my rights to express the cultural identity I choose to identify with, even though the school prides itself on how 'culturally diverse' it is,” Papay said.

The flag removal sparked a heated debate on a Rochester University class of 2017 Facebook page, which included one comment asking what the Confederate flag means to black people, the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle reports.

Papay said he would not put up the flag knowing it offended some people, but added that he should have the right to put it up.

An email from two deans sent out to students on Friday, Oct. 18, said Papay removed the flag after speaking to fellow students, which Papay called a lie.

Dean of Students Matthew Burns responded by saying that he sent out the message with incomplete information about the flag debate and that the residence hall adviser “misspoke” when she told Papay to remove the flag. He said it should have been allowed to stay.

It's ok to display this one though.

There never even should have been a civil war!...If anyone had any real presence of mind at the time, North & South would have joined hands, built some ships and invaded England to finish the job you started in 1776.

The Bank of England has been your real enemy since day one!

Confederate flag which isn't really the actual flag used at the time is an abomination to this country and should be a shame on whoever flies it. If people would show them the disdain it deserves people would stop trying to make a statement with it.

I personally like to see them fly it so I can categorize/identify the racists correctly and make sure their cause is not allowed in our country. But I do understand how disrespectful it is for others.

Blah blah I smell my own farts blah blah blah Obozo is great, praise be to obozo...Obozo is great, praise be to obozo...

I think people with liberal views should be in the circus side show.

Not to mention, you proved my one way road of diversity.

Still stands.

Sure does!

Are you talking about the old racist South, Apartheid South Africa, or the new Apartheid state of Israel...or all of them?

http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/george-galloway-addresses-the-most-dumb-question.html

Doesn't even apply to my post....

Just what kind of "culture" is the Confederate rebel flag supposed to represent?

Southern culture. Although rednecks country wide display it.

Then why o why oh one who knows it all and is never wrong do I see blacks wearing the stars and bars here in Georgia? You know if you'd take you head out of the liberal sunshine and come back down to the ground, you might understand that flag represents heritage and not the "racist hate" tones that people up north label it as. As long as you continue to label it as such, that's all it will ever be to you and others just as narrow minded as yourself.

So, how is so-called "southern heritage" different from the heritage of any other group of people?

Frankly, the opposition to the Confederate battle flag isn't something that comes from liberals only. Plenty of conservatives are opposed to that flag, too.

Liberals, can't live with em, can't ____ em!

Let's cut to the chase.

The Confederate battle flag is associated with the racism that used to be dominant the USA's southern states.

That is why I refuse to have any such flag on my property, let alone in my personal possession.

If people who display the Confederate battle flag aren't racists, then they are callous, because they are promoting a "culture" in which black Americans were treated as second-class citizens. . .

. . . and, no, the Confederate battle flag isn't a symbol of rednecks, despite the fact that some people have foolishly linked that flag to rednecks.

Here is another group that proudly displays the Confederate battle flag:




The harsh reality is . . .



By the way, years ago, when I began hearing Jeff Foxworthy's "redneck" jokes, I didn't understand that they were jokes, because he was describing my family.

Whatever hippy. I am surprised you know its the battle flag, not the flag of the CSA.

The harsh reality is that many people like me had family who fought for the Confederate side. So I suppose if we take the literal definition of culture, "manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively" yes I would say I'm proud of my relatives for standing up for what they thought was right. Not saying that it was, I'm just happy they stood up for it considering the odds.

And that is why I respect that "symbol of racism" as people call it. Because one mans symbol of hatred, is another one's symbol of courage. There are always two sides, and nothing is black and white, but many shades of grey.