Liberty University spurns Democratic club

[Maren]

From the Boston Globe:

Liberty University will no longer recognize its campus Democratic Party club because its parent organization stands against the conservative Christian school's moral principles.The club, which has about 30 members, will no longer be able to use Liberty's name, hold on-campus meetings, or be eligible for student activities money.

"I think it does the university a great disservice to stifle one side of the discussion simply because we are Democrats," said Maria Childress, the club's adviser and an administrative assistant at the school.

I find this interesting and somewhat ironic, especially since these are some of the same people that complain about liberal universities trying to silence alternative views; the school even goes so far as to include "an absolute repudiation of “political correctness”" as one the things that makes Liberty distinctive. OTHO, they are a private university. So, what do you think?

 

[Tenka]

What degrees does liberty university offer?

 

[Drekkan85]

What degrees does liberty university offer?

I'm sure like any diploma mill they have a price list somewhere.

 

[clarksided]

They have a right to do so as a private university.

It's quite funny given their name, though, that they're banning dissent. Southern Baptism unabashedly opposes liberty for all persons so I'll never get why Falwell chose that name for his university.

 

[Taure]

They have a right to do so as a private university.

Legally? I guess.

However, they shouldn't. I still don't see how this place got accredited. Is there no U.S. governmental oversight of private educational institutions?

 

[SiderealExalt]

I'd love to see the fallout if say..some sort of secular university did the same thing to religious clubs.

 

[revanneosl]

Legally? I guess.

However, they shouldn't. I still don't see how this place got accredited. Is there no U.S. governmental oversight of private educational institutions?

Liberty University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Their guidelines for accreditation are here:
http://www.sacscoc.org/pdf/2008PrinciplesofAccreditation.pdf

 

[SallyNow]

If they're going to do that, they'd better stop calling themselves Liberty, because they seem to stand for the exact opposite sometimes, like right now.

 

[MichaelFJF]

Conservatives get the shaft in 99% of colleges across the nation. Now a few democrats are told "No." Boo hoo. Get over it.

 

[SiderealExalt]

Conservatives get the shaft in 99% of colleges across the nation. Now a few democrats are told "No." Boo hoo. Get over it.

Personally I could care less. In that I feel that the extremes of political ideology have engendered little more than a turf war in America, and have led politicians to forget the purpose of their profession.

However, something sticks out to me. I've never been much of one for the Golden Rule. It's not unique to Christianity, and I've always felt it's missed somewhat of a point. Instead I've always thought more along the lines of, whatever a person or people are willing to inflict upon another, they ultimately accept that to be done to themselves.

So now here you are, pulling some percentage out your tookus and thinking some conservative self pity is a fine and noble thing. And all I can help think is, you're just saying well hey it's a fine thing to screw over each other. Because hey, that gets us somewhere..right. /sarcasm

All Liberty did was diminish itself. That is not a thing to be proud of, regardless of what club or group they chose to no longer recognize. But if self pity suits some people...they are welcome to it.

 

[MichaelFJF]

Personally I could care less. In that I feel that the extremes of political ideology have engendered little more than a turf war in America, and have led politicians to forget the purpose of their profession.

However, something sticks out to me. (1) I've never been much of one for the Golden Rule. It's not unique to Christianity, and I've always felt it's missed somewhat of a point. Instead I've always thought more along the lines of, whatever a person or people are willing to inflict upon another, they ultimately accept that to be done to themselves.

So now here you are, pulling some percentage out your tookus and thinking some (2) conservative self pity is a fine and noble thing. And all I can help think is, you're just saying well hey it's a fine thing to screw over each other. Because hey, that gets us somewhere..right. /sarcasm

All Liberty did was diminish itself. That is not a thing to be proud of, regardless of what club or group they chose to no longer recognize. But if self pity suits some people...they are welcome to it.

1. Um....buddy.....hate to break it to you, but that sorta is the golden rule.

2. I said no such thing. I said "Boohoo, get over it."

 

[platzapS]

Conservatives get the shaft in 99% of colleges across the nation. Now a few democrats are told "No." Boo hoo. Get over it.

This isn't equivalent. Not even the most left-wing of American colleges (as far as I know) bans College Republicans.

(Although Liberty University is perfectly within their rights to do this, as they are a private university).

 

[clarksided]

I've never heard of a major university (which Liberty is) that allows the College Democrats but not the College Republicans.

Of course, if you have evidence of that, please link me.

 

[clarksided]

double post

 

[katautumn]

Well, I suppose that's par for the course at the college Jerry Falwell founded.

 

[Washington]

Conservatives get the shaft in 99% of colleges across the nation.

\
Words are cheap. Not that I expect you to back up such an asinine exaggeration.

 

[MichaelFJF]

Oh please. Do a google search. The Minutemen were shouted down, Ann Coulter gets death threats and then fruit thrown at her (by mature democrat students), there are NO prominent conservatives giving commencement speeches this year. Get your left wing heads out of the sand.

 

[Taure]

there are NO prominent conservatives giving commencement speeches this year

The reason for this is clear. The GOP is completely discredited as a party.

 

[MichaelFJF]

The reason for this is clear. The GOP is completely discredited as a party.

Yeah, that's it.

 

[Taure]

Yes, it is.

It's the same as after the 1997 elections in the UK. There was a landslide election which represented a massive turn away from the Conservatives in the public opinion. It has taken them over 10 years to recover.

Even your own party recognises this. There are massive divisions in the party's base between the moderates, the more libertarian camp and the religious right which has dominated the party for the last several elections. The reason why McCain lost the election by such a wide margin was that he had been in the libertarian/moderate camp for most of his political career, but had to sacrifice that to please the more hard-line religious right wingers (see: Sarah Palin). In doing so he lost that about him which was why he was chosen in the first place: the fact that he was a moderate Republican.

The GOP is undergoing the same internal debate that the Conservatives here did 1997-2007: what is the party about? What is going to be the party's new direction, given that the public has turned against the old paradigm?