American flags are closer to unfurling in every classroom at the University of Central Florida after a radio host teamed with a campus group to raise money for banners that student government and UCF officials refused to buy.
“It’s a great thing for UCF students,” said Heather Smith, president of Rebuilding on a Conservative Kornerstone, or ROCK, the group pushing for the flags. Smith and other ROCK members say the national emblems are meant to show patriotism and support for U.S. troops in the Middle East.
Critics of the flag plan say the American symbols are being used as political weapons to show support of President Bush and U.S. intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan, issues that not all students agree on.
Callers to Shannon Burke’s morning show on 540 AM (WFLF) in Orlando provided money for the flags, Burke said. The state’s Elks organization also donated more than $2,000, he said. Burke said Smith was an intern with his radio show this summer, so he followed the flag issue closely. Burke shrugged off critics who say the flags are being used in a partisan way.
“The American flag transcends any political issue,” Burke said.
From the Flatlands to the Mountains: Flatland Cavalry and Gretchen Wilson perform at SGA concert
No Comment