Trinity University Stifles Conservative Free Speech
September 21, 2007Trinity University has forced the College Republicans to “modify” their planned “affirmative action” bake sale because they deemed the event too controversial.
This comes days after an article in the Trinitonian, Trinity University’s campus newspaper, interviewed both the College Democrats and the College Republicans, who promised and urged debate and discussion on the traditionally apathetic university.
This is what I got from their President, Allen Otto:
“I was told that my pricing setup was not okay because it seems to place value on life and that such a setup might offend some members of the community. I responded that such offense was meant to draw attention to the inherent offensiveness of the racist institution that is Affirmative Action.”
Also in the Trinitonian article the College Democrats reported they’d like to present a debate between Representative Rick Noriega and Mikal Watts, the Democrats who are running against Senator John Cornyn.
I doubt the university will take similar action in censoring these two liberals who will probably debate traditionally liberal topics such as:
- socialism and why Liberals want it in the United States
- racial profiling in college admissions
- pandering minorities for votes
- killing unborn babies because of a fight for a “choice”
- pandering to Moveon.org and other extreme Leftist groups
- open borders
- legislation that prioritizes illegal immigrants over United States citizens (Texas House Bill 1403, anyone?)
Of course, we wouldn’t want anyone to be offended by these issues and if this university is truly devoted to denouncing all things offensive and removing their events and happenings off the campus then they probably won’t let these Liberals speak. Right?
Wrong.
Unlike this administration, conservatives are dedicated to the belief that free speech ought to exist on college campuses. If I don’t agree with the positions of the men debating, then I respectfully disagree like an adult.
The standards that Trinity University has setup reflect a subjective judging scale that could classify just about anything as offensive.
I recommend you all call and email Trinity University and demand fairness on their campus.
Administration
Office of the President (210) 999-8401
John.Brazil@trinity.edu – President of Trinity University
Felicia.Lee@trinity.edu – VP of Student Affairs
News & Events
Office of University Communications
(210) 999-8406
Media Relations (210) 999-8406
pr@trinity.edu
Let’s give Allen the final word:
The Trinity University Student Organization Handbook does not place any restrictions on events other than an approval by CCI ten days in advance. Additionally, in neither the Organization Handbook nor the Trinity University Handbook does it give the right of CCI administration to cancel or modify an event that they deem “too controversial” outside of the 10-day approval clause.
The Trinity University Joint Statement on Rights and Freedoms of Students states, in part “Students and organizations shall be free to examine and discuss all questions of interest to them, and to express opinions publicly and privately. They shall be free to support causes by orderly means which do not disrupt the regular operations of Trinity University.”
CCI administrators admitted they believed the original event would not disrupt regular operations.
“We feel as though we have been discriminated against because we are a conservative organization attempting to convey a conservative message using captive means. This is not right and not fair,” says Otto.
Allen …. lol.
You’re fabulous.
Fabulously wrong but still fabulous.
Yes, the administration erred in this regard. That being said, Trinity has had a remarkable diversity of speakers including Tom Ridge, George Bush Sr and many others. Our liberal professors delight in conservative students, and I know many who grade them much higher than other, liberal students because they are judged for the most part on how well they argue and support their contentions, not on their politics. This was aberration and I hope Trinity will not be permanently smeared.
Allen,
I was PR director for the Trinity University College Republicans back in 2004-2005. Keep up the good fight! There are plenty of people that are willing to support you–and while this is by no means a new thing (I was actually Vice President of the VERY liberal TMN), you have plenty to use against them, and if you keep record of all the wrongs, then sooner or later it will be impossible to ignore.
…what does Dr. Crockett have to say about all this?
Good Lord, is there nothing that can be done about incessant blather from open border bloggers blabbing on-and-on about Noriega on the web???
Yes, we understand that he’s the most pro-immigrant/anti-native legislator in Texas. Yes, we understand that he’s anti-border security. But will they finally shut up now that Julio Pacheco and Clarence Hodge Jr., Texas National Guard sergeants stationed in Laredo where Noriega claims he was running the show, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport illegal immigrants across the border in a National Guard van?
We need to get this story out!!!
Why are the Republicans on Trinity’s Campus picking affirmative action as their cause? On some campuses I could see there being a point, but in the white wash, upper middle class, fairly conservative, religious, private, liberal arts school, I don’t see affirmative action affecting a single student.
I am passing along a suggestion made Friday evening on WOAI:
Have the Bake Sale, with a change -
Sell at the same price, no matter the race, etnicity, religion, orientation, color, choice of whatever – Charge the same price to each customer; but,
limit access based on affirmitive action guidelines.
For example- White guy wants a cookie? Great! 50 cent sale!
Now, before any more cookies can be sold to any white dudes,
50 cent cookies must be sold to two women, three hispanics of
US origin, two hispanics of Mexican origin, two hispanics of
other-than-Mexican origin, one asian (seems like that number
should be higher:) , and five “Down For The Struggle” and “Black
Enough” [Obama couldn't count as a sale] ‘black’ people.
As happens in Fortune 500 Corporations, the cookie sellers might have to induce some sales in order to avoid disruption of their operation and/or campus activities/atmosphere.
I was offended by the Administration’s ham-fisted restraint of the Bake Sale in the first place. Don’t give them a price-fixing prosecution on the next one!
[...] Follow Up at Trinity University October 2nd, 2007 You can recall here that the Trinity University College Republicans’ affirmative action bake sale that was at the [...]
I saw the facebook photos, and I think the way that it was finally put on was brilliant. It made fun of the idiocracy of Trinity’s administration. Go Texas conservatives!
Hello,
I am a professor at Trinity University. One could classify me as a liberal, though I am probably a bit further to the left. I strongly disagree with most of the views of the campus conservatives, but am excited to witness *any* glimmerings of student interest in politics.
Though I do not support the views of the campus conservatives, I was appalled at the misguided response on the part of certain university administrators.
My colleague Rob Huesca is a fiery and outspoken activist who is situated firmly on the left. Like almost all of the “liberal college professors” at Trinity, he was also outraged by the silencing of free speech rights.
I’m appending a copy of his remarks from a recent campus speak-out on this topic. I think it’s important for all of us — liberals and conservatives alike — to remember that free speech is essential to healthy functioning of educational institutions and of our broader democracy.
+++++
Comments prepared for the Trinity speakout on affirmative action
October 3, 2007
Robert Huesca, Professor, Department of Communication
I want to thank the organizers of tonight’s speakout on the Affirmative Action Bake Sale recently held on campus.
My knowledge of the bake sale is based on what I read in the Trinitonian and on a conversation with one member of the College Republicans, so I apologize in advance for any inaccuracies in my understanding of what happened prior to, during, and after the event.
I was very troubled by what I read in the Trinitonian and from what I have been told by one of the students involved in the bake sale. In particular, I was disturbed that the College Republicans were asked to change their bake sale banner by the staff of the Office of Student Affairs. I am also disturbed that the College Republicans did not resist this request and insist on their right to provoke discussion by hanging a banner that some considered insensitive to ethnic minorities.
As disturbing as these occurrences are, neither is surprising. Both are consistent with the “culture of politeness” that afflicts our campus.
In the 13 years that I have worked at Trinity University, I have resisted the strong tendency in some quarters of this institution to infantilize its students by imposing stultifying norms of decency on them.
I am not alone in this sentiment.
In fact, a large number of faculty and staff came together two years ago to apply for a national grant to encourage “difficult dialogues” on campus around issues that have polarized sectors of our society. In part, our grant application was based on the argument that Trinity’s culture of politeness works against the direct engagement of students, faculty, and staff in contentious issues. One purpose of the grant, therefore, was to begin working to extinguish this suffocating, oppressive, and boring quality of our campus.
The Ford Foundation evidently found merit in our appeal and included Trinity University among the handful of institutions that received funding to encourage campus dialogues.
Trinity has accepted the grant and has organized a wide range of provocative and high quality events.
But it is hypocritical of this institution to take money from the Ford Foundation with one hand to encourage the discussion of difficult issues, while using the other hand to muzzle speech it finds uncivil, rude, or foolish about those very issues, thereby fostering the conditions that the grant is meant to eradicate.
Obviously the Office of Student Affairs has a duty to provide students with guidance and counsel, especially when the staff suspects the generation of unanticipated harmful or negative consequences. But in this case the Student Affairs staff seems to have exceeded its advisory duties, and exercised the coercive suppression of speech.
The university is not well served by speech codes, arbiters of civility, or enforcers of values.
By suppressing the expression of the College Republicans, the Office of Student Affairs has insulted the entire campus. Its actions have denied other students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to engage multiple issues raised by the bake sale banner.
We have been denied the opportunity, for example, to note that Trinity’s College Republicans use the same rhetorical tactics that are employed by white supremacist groups. We have been denied the opportunity to point out that Trinity’s College Republicans are blissfully ignorant of white privilege and systematic, structural discrimination that persists in our society. And we have been denied the opportunity to observe that Trinity’s College Republicans are more interested in dismantling programs aimed at addressing historical wrongs than in seeking proactive steps to solve them.
The bake sale banner may have been offensive, hurtful, and insensitive. But a university campus is supposed to be an environment that values and protects the rights of its members to express a broad range of claims and to take responsibility for explaining, defending, and maybe even changing them as a consequence of the dialogues provoked by those claims.
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