Posted on 12/07/2004 12:37:12 PM PST by RonF
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A Purdue University student has been suspended from his job as a physics department assistant and may lose the job after objecting to Purdue's United Way campaign because the charity supports anti-gay groups such as the Boy Scouts.
Mike Sloothaak was placed on administrative suspension without pay Nov. 19 after protesting United Way solicitations from the Northwest Indiana university's president and Andrew Hirsch, head of the school's physics department.
Those solicitations included an email from the physics department in October that listed all physics graduate students and staff who hadn't returned their United Way pledge forms. The email was sent to everyone on the list and Sloothaak replied to the entire list, detailing his reasons for not contributing to the charity, principally that it supports groups such as the Boy Scouts, which bars gays.
"I respond every year," Sloothaak said. "I've never contributed and I always protest."
Sloothaak said he was given a vague warning about using "university resources" to protest, after which he copied about a dozen flyers objecting to the United Way and put them in his supervisor's mailbox. An hour later, Sloothaak said, he was suspended.
Sloothaak said Purdue officials use university resources such as email to solicit for the United Way, so he should be able to use those same methods to criticize the charity. He said a supervisor in the physics department told him, "Supporting the United Way is university business but criticizing it is not."
Sloothaak said, "It's just coercion. It's a state institution and I think it's wrong."
University spokesman Joe Bennett said he couldn't comment specifically on Sloothaak's case because it involves personnel issues but said Purdue has clearly defined policies on use of the school's email system.
Bennett also noted the school prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and prohibits intimidation, interference or reprisals against students and staff who file complaints alleging discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Sloothaak's employment status is scheduled to be resolved by Dec. 3, according to memos he's received from his supervisor. [12/7/04]
I think Purdue and the local UW have the right handle on contributing to the BSA. But this guy has the same point that many objectors here to the UW have; he was pressured to contribute, he protested, and got fired. Seems to me that's wrong.
This guy will win millions. Purdue was kinda stupid here. Unless, we're not hearing the whole story here (which is 99% certain).
I think he got fired for filling his boss's mailbox up with protest flyers.
Doesn't the United Way support queer groups in its listing of participating organizations that get distributions from being on this list?
And I won't contribute because they support planned parenthood. No one's pressuring me though.
I hate the United Way, it's like a cult. I don't need a middleman to give out my charity dollars anyway.
I think the school is in the wrong for pressuring folks to contribute. And I would protest, too, though I would probably not cc everyone about it.
This is odd since most United Ways purposely exclude giving to the BSA precisely because the BSA "excludes" homosexuals. I did some searches on UW since a friend was in a similar situation (practially forced to donate time and money to UW by the company he worked for). Many UWs donate heavliy to outrageous "gay and lesbian and transgendered etc" causes.
This story is odd. Are local United Ways that different?
Purdue is wrong. He has every right to state that he will not support the UW because their local council supports their local scouts (as I assume is the case); just as I or anyone else has the right to say we will not support our local UW if they do not support scouts.
I stopped giving to the United Way about 10 years ago. Before that, I was afraid not to give because of the intracompany pressure to give, and the fact that they keep track of the giving, at least insofar as reporting whether everyone gave SOMETHING. They wanted 100% participation, so I always gave $50 or thereabouts. At some point, I just got to a point where I said, "I'm not going to let my employer tell me who to give my charitable contributions to."
I'm still working for the company.
This is probably what started the whole thing. The guy got ticked off because his name was listed in an e-mail. 'Protesting' the UW collections because of the Boy Scouts was just the most PC thing he could think of to latch on to.
Dude, be careful. You're apt to start a fire when you type and leave your crack pipe unattended! : )
Actually, local ones can be very different. Many of the local UWs list their givings on their website. My local one has a list of their total funds allocation for 2003 online. Included was over $50K for two local BSA troops.
I think the United Way in each county pretty much gets to decide who they will give to within certain guidelines.
The one where I live gives money to the Boy Scouts but stopped giving money to Planned Parenthood.
I keep close tabs on what my local UW gives to. If they ever tick me off, I'll just give my money directly to organizations I choose.
Tell 'em how YOU see this:
President Martin Jischke: mcjischke@purdue.edu
Andrew Hirsch: http://www.physics.purdue.edu/people/faculty/hirsch.shtml
I always get bad looks from HR when I tell them no to contributions.
Check again. I don't think there is that much discretion.
Plus, it's all an extortion racket: The boss's wife's social status depends on the contributions.
I always have the feeling I am not hearing the whole story when I read somehting in the papers. If they fired him just because he didn't want to give, they are in the wrong, however, is there more to the story? Did he get fired for some other reason and then start screaming about the UW thing with the BSA? Hard to say. I would like to hear exactly what the school has to say as to why he was fired before I actually jump in with an opinion.
Muleteam1
Force = Ass x Lubrication < / Homophobic Physics Joke>
So the UW gets to pressure employees for giving to their cause, leaving less for other worthy charities.
Arrogant SOBs.
"This is odd since most United Ways purposely exclude giving to the BSA precisely because the BSA "excludes" homosexuals."
If you mean that "most UW's that exclude giving to the BSA do so because of it's membership policies with regards to 'avowed homosexuals'", you are right. But if you mean "most UW's exclude giving to the BSA, and do so because of the BSA's membership policies", then you are quite wrong. Only about 50 of 1600 UW chapters nationwide exclude the BSA from their agency lists.
You might want to check that. I seriously doubt that your local UW gives to BSA Troops. They probably give to BSA Councils.
I protest the UW because it gives to all sorts of evil orgs. I have to stand by this guy.
I had to read this carefully, because usually it's the other way around. Yes, I agree the school is wrong, if the story presents all the pertinent facts.
I think my local United Way and many around the country have banned the Boy Scouts because of gay protests, so the shoe is usually on the other foot.
What I find surprising is that this fellow does not know that the United Way supports all sorts of liberal causes. I detest the United Way, especially after it stopped supporting South Florida Boy Scouts
The United Way of Miami-Dade on Tuesday discontinued its funding for boy scouting programs, saying the local Boy Scouts of America affiliate failed to abide by an agreement requiring it to help gay youths cope with their sexuality.In a private meeting, the United Way's board of directors voted unanimously to withhold its yearly funding grant of $480,000 for ''traditional scouting programs,'' according to the agency's spokeswoman, Tamara Klingler.
Purdue is a great engineering school and they throw great parties :P But, the United Way wastes a lot of money, the Salvation Army is a better charity IMHO...
It's just creepy.
From the article: Sloothaak said he was given a vague warning about using "university resources" to protest, after which he copied about a dozen flyers objecting to the United Way and put them in his supervisor's mailbox. An hour later, Sloothaak said, he was suspended.
He got suspended for insubordination as he continued to use university resources to protest. Not that he protested, but that he disobeyed his supervisor.
also, that it happened quickly hints that this guy had been on his supervisor's excrement list and was just waiting to pull the trigger.
Maybe not, but I know that my local UW gives to the BSA and does NOT give to PP.
While I don't agree with this guy's assertions about the Boy Scouts, I do agree with him whole-heartedly about being coerced to give to the United Way. My husband and I have both experienced some not so subtle pressure at the work place to give to the United Way. It's totally inappropriate and it feels less like charity than extortion.
Luckily, my current employer is no longer associated with UW, but my husband still has to endure explaining to his supervisor why he does not contribute.
Ah yes, Councils. You are right.
He responded to this intimidational slander by association mailing, what a suprise.
Interesting, Purdue will be burned for using leftist tactics on a leftist.
Or Free Republic LOL
"I respond every year," Sloothaak said. "I've never contributed and I always protest."
Ya think?
Good to know that all United Ways aren't dissing the BSA. I wonder how much of the money donated to UW goes to the actual charities and how much goes to their upkeep?
Either way, it's bad for employers to force anyone to "donate". Donate means voluntary.
It is amazing how a twisted one percent of the population, has been empowered to analy rape the straight ninty nine percent of the population.
What the hell ever happened to a person's right to be right?
Civilian or Military, when it comes to the United Extortion Way, Voluntary has for fifty years, been read to mean: "Voluntarily donate or else!"
Everyone just went along to get along, until the Unwholesome Way, proclaimed that Pereversion was purer than P{atriotism and the Boy Scouts, and denied the money extorted from you and me from the BSA.
To hell with the Unwholesome Way, And Long live the BSA!!!!!!
People who are wrong don't want us to have the right to be right.
I've had people enraged at me solely because I disagree with them about "gay is good". Even if I don't say anything. Or about evolution - just them knowing I don't agree is enough to enrage them.
I don't get enraged because people are wrong - i.e. disagree with me. I understand that every human being has God given free will, and we can choose what to do, what or who (or Who) to put our faith and trust in.
I don't respect the ideas or beliefs or practices of people who are wrong, but I respect that they have free will. I would never try to force someone to agree with me. But leftists are different. They hate free will, and they get angry when people use their free will in a different direction than they do.
Notice how so many leftist crap ideas completely negate free will - "gays" are born that way, black people will always be losers unless given welfare, drug addicts can't stop so they must be given clean needles, teenagers can't possibly not screw everything that moves so they must be given condoms and abortions, people have no souls, they're just bags of meat and bones frogmarching along the path their DNA forces them to, etc.
It boils down to the fact that they see themselves as a machine, not as a soul.
Just read your profile page - may your wish come true!
They really do see themselves as a machine or a helpless victem, without either choice or responsibility for their actions.
Pathetic.
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