Springtime at UCI

It’s springtime at UC Irvine, and the flowers are blooming as you can see from the above picture. Partially obscured by the flowers is the sign on the patio on the side of the Cross Cultural Center which says that the area must remain clear of storeage at all times by order of the campus fire marshall.

Except if you are the Muslim Student Union and/or Students for Justice in Palestine. For years that patio has been  used by the MSU for public prayers. The pro-Palestinian signs you see stored just a few feet away from the sign are no doubt in readiness for the on-going Israel Celebration Week, sponsored by UCI Hillel and/or the forthcoming MSU anti-Israel week of follies scheduled from April 29-May 3.

And the fire marshall? He’s probably on spring break. (It’s a recurring problem.)

Meanwhile, around the corner, Hillel was holding a quiet, low-key celebration of Israel’s birthday as a few pro-Palestinian protesters showed up with posters and a Palestinian flag. I was present for an hour or so, leaving at 1:30 pm. At that time, there was no noise or chanting. That’s a good thing.

After all, it’s springtime at UCI  and the flowers are blooming-even if they do partially cover up the fire marshall’s safety signs.