PENN STATE ADMINISTRATION SUMMARIZES RECENT EFFORTS TO ERADICATE INTOLERANCE

Penn State Diversity Newswire ^ | Friday, December 19, 2003 | Graham Spanier

[StopGlobalWhining]

The discovery of hateful photos on the personal web page of the
president of the College Republicans was met with outrage by
students, faculty, and staff in the Penn State community. University
leaders condemned this behavior and spoke out against acts that
foster racism, sexism, homophobia and incivility.

Penn State is committed to a campus climate where the humanity and dignity of each individual is respected. The recently updated and published plan, "A Framework to Foster Diversity at Penn State, 2004-09," outlines the promotion of diversity through institutional leadership, financial support for programs, and strategies and approaches that encourage the development of a multi-cultural campus.

Building on a long list of University-wide and college-specific diversity related initiatives, President Spanier has asked the Offices of Student Affairs, Educational Equity, and Undergraduate Education to review recent suggestions from faculty, staff, and student organizations for any potential additional areas in which further progress can be achieved. The University will also seek input from the Commission for Women, the Commission on Racial/Ethnic Diversity, and the Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equity, as well as The Forum On Black Affairs and other interested groups for insights on ways to improve the campus climate for diversity.

Because of the many concerns that have arisen among groups on campus, the University administration felt it important to provide an update on steps being taken to address intolerance at Penn State.

1. STATEMENTS OF CONDEMNATION The University issued a statement condemning the photos that were posted by the president of the College Republicans and linked from the group's web page. President Spanier also issued a separate statement. Many other University groups have similarly condemned the photos. University statements included a call for the removal of the photos and for an apology from the person who put them up. Those statements can be found at:

Dec. 5, 2003: Statement from Penn State President Graham Spanier http://live.psu.edu/story/4931

Dec. 7, 2003: University responds to College Republicans' acts http://live.psu.edu/story/4932

Dec. 9, 2003: University Faculty Senate supports president's statement http://www.psu.edu/ufs/Bise%20comment.htm

Updated information will be available at: http://www.equity.psu.edu/republicans.asp

2. SUPPORT FOR A NEW REPUBLICAN ORGANIZATION ON CAMPUS While the University has no legal means to mandate a resignation of the president of the College Republicans, Republicans from far and wide have condemned the incident and called for the resignations of the president and other officers of the College Republicans. A new group of Young Republicans is forming on campus. The University will support their efforts to launch an alternative for student Republicans.

3. FACILITATING DIALOG The Office of Student Affairs and the Office of Educational Equity have been meeting with student groups to deal with their concerns about the bias incident and to promote legal and appropriate responses for our student groups and the entire University community. Vice President for Student Affairs Vicky Triponey and Vice Provost for Educational Equity Terrell Jones will continue to provide leadership for the University in these discussions.

4. CURRICULAR CHANGES The bias incident reinforces the continuing need to educate our students about multicultural issues. The University Faculty Senate has previously committed to developing a revised curricular requirement that better reflects the domestic multicultural experience. President Spanier and Provost Erickson both have indicated their belief that the current intercultural and international competence requirement is too broadly defined, and the focus of the requirement needs to be narrowed. They are pleased that the chair of the Senate has convened a special conference committee to work through current differences between Senate committees, and the President and Provost have urged the Senate to complete its work on this important item before the end of this academic year.

5. FTCAP AND ORIENTATION CHANGES In an effort to increase awareness of diversity issues and the need for tolerance within the Penn State community, new and substantial information on diversity topics has been included in the Freshman, Testing, Counseling, and Advising Program (FTCAP) and Penn State's freshman orientation program. In addition, a letter is sent to each in-coming freshmen from the president of the University that includes a copy of the Penn State Principles. The vice provost for educational equity also sends each freshman a letter stressing the importance of diversity and understanding differences.

6. STUDENT GOVERNMENT Student government leaders are discussing the inclusion of diversity education as a part of their leadership training for incoming student leaders, as well as including an anti-discrimination policy as part of the constitutions of student organizations.

7. ON-GOING COMMITMENT Penn State will continue to stress the importance of diversity, civility and tolerance, and will continue to strive to ensure that all students, faculty and staff feel welcome and safe at Penn State. The University has invested substantial resources to foster diversity at Penn State and remains fully committed to this goal.

Other resources to report and combat intolerance are available at the Educational Equity site http://www.equity.psu.edu

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For past Diversity Newswire news, visit: http://www.equity.psu.edu/publications/newswire/

Office of Vice Provost for Educational Equity http://www.equity.psu.edu/

Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equity http://www.lions.psu.edu/clgbte/

Commission on Racial/Ethnic Diversity http://www.psu.edu/dept/cored/

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**** Penn State - Making Life Better ****

[StopGlobalWhining]

If you are not familiar with the issue that led to this, see the list of FR links at the end of this comment.

This is nothing but a vicious assault against the majority of conservative students at Penn State who greatly outnumber liberals, much to the consternation of the extreme left-wing orientation of the University administration.

The recent (last few years) have seen a dramatic rise of conservatism among Penn Students, and practically a panic on the part of the administration as a result, as they realize that they are losing the students.

One of the College Republicans at this Halloween party came dressed as "Over sodomized frat pledge", along with a bloody bottom. This really freaked out the LGBTAP organization (a.k.a. A-Zs) at PSU, because they don't believe that anyone can be oversodomized. Who are we to judge?

Another showed up in blackface with a bicycle chain around his neck. This was a parody on the vice-president of the USG (Undergraduate Student Government), who last month was convicted of theft of another student's bicycle and was fined $300.

And then this, from item #2 above: "A new group of Young Republicans is forming on campus. The University will support their efforts to launch an alternative for student Republicans."

Guaranteed to be RINOS and homosexual psuedo Republicans, manuevered by strings held by their masters.

---

Links related to this thread.

1. Friday 05dec03

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1035462/posts Pictures lead to call for resignations [Penn State College Republicans]

2. Monday 08dec03

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1036662/posts Fallout continues from Web pictures [Penn State College Republicans]

3. Tuesday 09dec03

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1037330/posts Web site owner makes apology [Penn State College Republicans]

4. Wednesday 10dec03

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1038141/posts USG debates photos [Penn State College Republicans]

5. Thursday

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1038877/posts [PSU USG] Senator resigns due to photos [Penn State College Republicans]

6. Friday 12dec03

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1039540/posts [Black] Caucus calls for diversity education [Penn State College Republicans]

[MHGinTN]

NIttany intolerance for intolerance, eh?

[keithtoo]

Penn State - "where all Tolerance rules are strictly enforced!"

"You will be tolerant or you will be silenced!"

[MHGinTN]

Achtung! Ve Haf Vays ...

[Intolerant in NJ]

The whole strange idea that you can counter "homophobia" (actually homodisgustism), racism, sexism, etc. with increased diversity is...well, strange. Many of the cultures celebrated under the umbrella of diversity are themselves more hostile to homosexuals, women and divergent races than is that of the USA. If these people weren't usually part of the university intelligensia, I'd begin to suspect that they just weren't very smart......

[Willie Green]

President Spanier and Provost Erickson both have indicated their belief that the current intercultural and international competence requirement is too broadly defined, and the focus of the requirement needs to be narrowed.

Well as an alumnus, I can certainly support narrowing of the focus.
Especially if they narrow it so much that it virtually disappears.
With tuition costs skyrocketing, there's way too much money being wasted on this social-engineering garbage as it is.
I'm getting pretty doggone upset that they keep degrading the value of my PSU diploma this way.
Time to get back to basics and provide the students with a high-quality education that they'll find useful later in life.
This international/multicultural touchy-feely crap doesn't fulfill that goal.

[RightWingAtheist]

[StopGlobalWhining]

If these people weren't usually part of the university intelligensia, I'd begin to suspect that they just weren't very smart......

One thing is for sure, and that is that they are not at all tolerant of any idea that doesn't conform to their liberal ideology.

If a student opposes affirmative action, he or she will be branded a racist. If a student will not "celebrate" the homosexual lifestyle, he or she will be branded as "homophobic". Tolerance is not enough. "celebration" is demanded.

Every year these homosexuals have what they call "Pride Week". I've always wondered what they could possibly be proud of as a result of their deviant behavior. Yet the PSU Spanier administration continues to promote and encourage homosexuality on campus.

One of these days I expect that the University is going to be sued by the parents of a student who has either been injured by an outrageous homosexual act gone wrong, or has contracted a sexually transmitted disease as a result of PSU minimizing the dangerous nature of the homosexual lifestyle.

[Kay Ludlow]

PSU Bump!

[Willie Green]

Another showed up in blackface with a bicycle chain around his neck. This was a parody on the vice-president of the USG (Undergraduate Student Government), who last month was convicted of theft of another student's bicycle and was fined $300.

Well USG was a joke 30 years ago, and I see it hasn't changed one bit.
Normal students don't pay any attention to it.
All the college "Republicans" succeeded in doing was proving that they're as immature as the little marxist factions.
WG's words of wisdom: forget about the political crap until after you graduate.
You're only gonna be in Happy Valley for 4 years, so make the most of it.
Hit the books and study hard, and in your spare time hit the bars, drink some beer and dance.
Believe me, you'll have a much better time and better memories than getting involved with this horsecrap.

[ml/nj]

ping

[StopGlobalWhining]

That jpg of the tolerance camp is exactly the area of campus where Graham Spanier would lke to isolate all PSU conservatives.

The members of the new "Young Republicans" sponsored by the University will serve as the guards and gas chamber attendants.

[fatima]

Thanks for the update ,will cross this one off my daughter's list,pray for my granddaughter Karen-20 years old,on the road right now-4 ID- 4 day trip- will arrive Dec.24 for 2 weeks leave.

[Intolerant in NJ]

One of these days I expect that the University is going to be sued by the parents of a student who has either been injured by an outrageous homosexual act gone wrong, or has contracted a sexually transmitted disease as a result of PSU minimizing the dangerous nature of the homosexual lifestyle...wouldn't even have to involve homosexuality, would it? - seems I remember only within the past year or two Penn State spent thousands of public dollars on a "Sex Festival", celebrating all manner of lascivious activity - parents could probably sue the University for any number of sexually-related misadventures from short-circuited vibrators to pregnancy......

[StopGlobalWhining]

Thanks for the update ,will cross this one off my daughter's list,...

In my opinion it would depend on the are of study your daughter is interested in pursuing. I wouldn't cross PSU off the list just because we have some rotten apples in the administration at the moment.

If she is interested in the liberal arts, then she should go somewhere else. But if she is planning on going into the hard sciences (chemistry, physics, math), engineering, meteorology or other earth sciences such as geosciences, or business, then PSU is among the best, and the faculty in those areas are far more academically oriented than are their counterparts in liberal arts and soft sciences.

[fatima]

Doctor's assistant-not sure if she applied-has scholarships in many schools,Holy Family Leads.PS,She always wanted to be a doctor-afraid because of lawsuits.Dean of Student's said Penn State to Mary.Do you go there?Just a Mom of 6 kids asking.

[BookmanTheJanitor]

Tolerance?


The Associated Press
11/13/2003, 11:26 a.m. ET


STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — The FBI and U.S. Secret Service were notified about an act of vandalism on the Penn State University campus that appeared to include a threat against President Bush.



University police received a call Wednesday telling them about the vandalism. The words "Bush dies 12-10-03" and "Iraq" were found painted on the Nittany Lion shrine, a stone statue that depicts the university's mascot, university police supervisor Bill Moerschbacher said.

Acts of vandalism are rare at the shrine, and usually are associated with football games.

In 1966, Joe Paterno's first year as head coach at Penn State, his wife, Sue Paterno, and the wives of two assistant coaches poured water-based orange paint over the shrine two days before a game against Syracuse, hoping to frame the Syracuse fans and enrage the Penn State students. Later that night, some Syracuse fans were arrested for pouring oil-based paint on the shrine.

"This is the first time I've heard of the shrine being used for a political message," Moerschbacher said.

No witnesses or suspects have been identified.

[Tamzee]

So political satire costumes are illegal now?

I guess we can start arresting all those lefties that dress in warped Bush costumes depicting him as Hitler at "peace protests".

[drhogan]

people have the right to wear whatever costumes they want to at a private party, if the host allows it. however, by linking the photos to the college republican web site, the president of the college republicans did demonstrate a real lack of political intelligence. republicans at Penn State will be better off with a new leader who has better political judgement.
however, i think people should insist that spanier be just as critical when members of left-wing groups reveal their own "lack of tolerance."

[Lancey Howard]

4. CURRICULAR CHANGES The bias incident reinforces the continuing need to educate our students about multicultural issues. The University Faculty Senate has previously committed to developing a revised curricular requirement that better reflects the domestic multicultural experience.

This is one reason that I am one lifetime member of the Alumni Association who stopped donating anything to the University and who will no longer accept calls from the University.

That College Republicans President is a freakin' idiot, yeah, but his behavior no doubt resulted from resentment which developed and festered at that place because of the "multi-cultural" / "diversity" (ie., anti-white-male) policies of liberal scumbags like Spanier. Both of these "presidents" need to go.