Weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Emory University senior Alexander Dreyer burned a photocopy of the American flag during a live radio broadcast. Four months later, the stunt has landed him 30 hours of community service.
Dreyer, who was assaulted by three Emory students after the show, said he received the punishment for breaking the fire code as opposed to the act of flag desecration. He noted that he also received an “incredibly insincere” apology letter from his attackers. “I found [that] rather insulting,” he wrote via e-mail.
The fate of his assailants is unknown, as decisions by the university’s honor council are confidential. Assault is grounds for dismissal, according to the school’s disciplinary code.
The incident took place on Sept. 28 during Kisha Hope’s show, “Girls Wear Boxers Too,” a program on the college radio station WMRE. After discussing his political views, Dreyer set fire to a paper photocopy of the flag, provoking several angry phone calls from listeners. Upon leaving the studio, three male students confronted Dreyer about his actions and the incident eventually escalated into a fight. Dreyer, citing the harsh sentence for an assault conviction, decided not to pursue legal action.