In today’s Pope Center piece, Professor Robert Weissberg responds to a recent article by UNC senior Anthony Dent. The issue at hand is the best way to respond to the unfair treatment of conservative and libertarian student groups on campus. Weissberg says, “Don’t take the King’s shilling.” Dent replies that those groups should fight for fairness.
Comments?
"The only way to avoid being illegally discriminated against is to give up and go someplace where you won't face that discrimination."
I've got an idea, professor - we'll set up someplace separate for these groups, but of course we'll make these new places just as good. That way, everybody will be equal. Separate, but equal. That sounds like a dandy solution!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI don't care for the fairness argument either. Excluding a gay student (who is presumably Christian and conservative) strikes me as altogether bizarre in this day and age though. Liberals are wrong about most things, but while I don't want to liken it to the fight over segregation, this is something that conservatives who are invested will look back upon with embarrassment in the future. I'm sure of this.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMr. Weissberg counsels not taking University money so as not be entangled by their rules. Unless the students would also meet off-campus, I don’t see how a University would not still ensnare the conservative organization.
I think it makes more sense to go “Alinsky” on the University and make them abide by their own silly rules. The example used by Mr. Weissberg is a man trying to join the women’s rugby team as he could claim to be a “man trapped in a woman’s body”, and therefore being a man is the man’s “status” and not his belief. I say make the University prove otherwise.
Another area, every college applicant should claim to be Hispanic or Black. What legal definition could the University claim otherwise in denying that claim. Sign up for a Women’s Studies course and then claim that the environment is hostile to you based on your beliefs. Etc., etc.
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