Posted on 01/28/2008 7:52:58 AM PST by michiganguy
CMU rabble-rouser faces expulsion Posted by Justin Engel | The Saginaw News http://blog.mlive.com/saginawnews/2008/01/cmu_rabblerouser_faces_expulsi.html
MOUNT PLEASANT -- Central Michigan University and an outspoken student are preparing to duel again.
Dennis G. Lennox II said the college has scheduled a hearing that could lead to his expulsion. The session takes place at 8 a.m. Wednesday at the Bovee University Center.
Officials canceled a December hearing for undisclosed reasons, Lennox said.
The 23-year-old became a lightning rod after he launched a campaign against CMU educator and political candidate Gary C. Peters, who Lennox said should "pick either Congress or campus."
The university hired Peters, a former Michigan lawmaker and state lottery commissioner, last year as its Griffin Endowed Chair in American Government. Peters is seeking the Democratic nod to face Republican Congressman Joe Knollenberg in Oakland County this fall.
Lennox said the hearing stems from allegations he provided false information to a university official, did not comply with an official and violated policy regulating the distribution of printed materials. He said the incidents happened Oct. 23 as he distributed anti-Peters fliers on campus and refused to give his name to an unidentified man who was collecting copies of the newsletter.
The violations could result in expulsion, CMU policy states.
"The strong-armed reaction has been unbelievable," Lennox said. "The school is bullying, harassing and intimidating people, hoping they'll go away."
The Topinabee native suspects he received subpar grades in the fall semester from instructors irked by his efforts.
Lennox said he earned a 3.5 grade-point average during his first two years studying political science and journalism but received a 3.1 last semester.
"That was a big disappointment because that takes me off the dean's list," Lennox said, "and I take pride in doing well in school."
He wasn't sure if he would appeal the grades.
CMU spokesman Steve Smith said college employees can't discuss the situation because of student privacy laws, but added, "There are two sides to every story." Lennox is the self-described spokesperson of Students Against Gary Peters, a spin-off group of the conservative Members of Young Americans For Freedom. He contends partisan fuel doesn't drive his cause against the Democrat.
The junior gained attention in October when a college dean appeared to push away a camera Lennox operated while he served a Freedom of Information Act document requesting copies of e-mails Peters sent and received. The 10-second clip landed on www.youtube.com and received 2,000 hits within two days.
Later, the college banned videotaping people on campus without permission. The American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to President Michael Rao in November describing the videotaping restriction as unconstitutional.
Lennox said he doesn't regret any of his actions.
"I don't think I've done anything wrong," he said. "I've been raised to believe it's the duty of citizens to ask questions."
Recall this incident:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1916226/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1931800/posts
I guess the journalism student motto of “wanting to intiate change” is just for the Left.
Michael Rao, Ph.D.
CM University President and Professor
Mich. 48859 | Phone 989-774-4000
Is this a naughty teacher thread? I'm confused.
Things like planting hundreds of little white crosses to represent American war dead and rallies to haul the Stars and Stripes down from the flag pole in front of the main administration building were almost daily occurrences. There was even one reported instance of attempted arson at the ROTC building.
Obviously, since then, the CMU management has totally rethought their position on the value of, and benign tolerance for, the individual citizen's First Amendment rights. Phooey.
A liberal university strong arming opinions that disagree with theirs? I don’t believe it.
I would hope people would write the school and complain ... I found this:
http://migop.blogs.com/blog/2008/01/articles-of—21.html
Please take five minutes (out of the 1,440 you have today) and fire off a quick email or phone call to each of the CMU officials listed below. Ask them to support Dennis Lennox’s right to free expression and political thought. Ask them to toss the bogus anti-speech “charges” that are being bandied about. Ask them to stand up for a little thing we like to call the Constitution.
Here is the contact information... five minutes...:
CMU President Michael Rao:
Email: president@cmich.edu
Phone: (989) 774-3131
Assistant Dean of Students Anthony Voisin:
Email: anthony.a.voisin@cmich.edu
Phone: (989) 774-3016
Board of Trustees Chairman Jeffrey Caponigro (R):
Email: capon1jr@cmich.edu
Phone: (248) 355-3200
Board of Trustees member Stephanie Comai (R):
Email: comai1s@cmich.edu
Phone: (734) 761-6915
Board of Trustees member John Kulhavi (R):
Email: kulha1jg@cmich.edu
Phone: (248) 737-6222
Board of Trustees member Gail Torreano (R):
Email: torre1gf@cmich.edu
Phone: (313) 223-7171
I suppose that depends upon whether the person speaking is telling the truth, eh?
I admit right off that I know nothing of the facts of this case. But what I do see, is only one side of this story. The kid is having his say, making the best case for himself that he can. And the university, which is legally constrained from defending itself against the claims, is left in a position of being unable to offer a meaningful response to the student's accusations.
What really happened.... well, if FR has taught me anything, it is to utterly distrust any and all sensational stories where the only information is supplied by the aggrieved victim.
There's more to the story. There always is.
Only those of correct DemoNazi persuasion need apply.
Bump for later read.
Just received an alumni contribution form, may have to rethink.
Whatever happened, he shouldn’t be expelled.
Possibly. We don't really know what happened, though.
RedState jumps in with a front page post on the matter:
umped up top and promoted by Erick. This expulsion hearing happens tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. You can contact Professor Peter Koper at peter.t.koper@cmich.edu or (989) 774-3128 and ask him to support free speech by dropping the charges. — Erick
Cross-posted on Right Michigan at www.RightMichigan.com.
It wouldn’t be a new semester if Central Michigan University weren’t attempting to censor free speech and political thought on campus. Wait, that’s not entirely true. They don’t have a problem with free speech and political thought from the left. It’s just the conservatives they have a problem with.
By now we all know the story of Dennis Lennox. There’s not much I can add that hasn’t been more eloquently stated by Mike Volpe and Chet Zarko in recent days. The kid has almost single-handedly raised the Gary Peters issue to national prominence. But just because Dennis thinks that Peters should choose between campus and Congress (in a District hundreds of miles away while violating federal campaign laws that prohibit public employees from pursuing office) doesn’t mean the nut-job administrators at Central agree with him.
Quite the contrary. They’re waging a very personal war against an outspoken conservative student because he dares have opinions different from theirs.
The school has targeted Lennox by banning videotaping, ignored a dean who assaulted him, directed faculty and staff to avoid the use of CMU e-mail when discussing Gary Peters because it could be released under FOIA, accused the kid of suffering from mental illness because he holds conservative political views and has an interesting haircut. They went as far as to call him the next Virginia Tech-style school shooter.
And that was all them playing nice. Well they’ve decided to take the gloves off and we’re going to have to do the same.
Read on . . .
One week from today, on January 30th at 8:00 AM the school will be holding an expulsion hearing to try to rid themselves of Lennox once and for all. Nevermind that the ACLU, elected officials and alumni have the kids back, he’s making things difficult for the lefties in power on campus and they want to wash their hands of him.
Even more sinister, they’re only now letting the guy see the “evidence” they have against him and have refused his request to record the session, determined to cloak it permanently in secrecy.
Remember the good old days when having anti-establishment viewpoints and rallying against the man was part of the college experience? Students on the left have rioted, thrown rocks at police and destroyed property and avoided serious trouble from campus officials. But dare express a conservative view point and serve a FOIA request or two and they’ll quite literally try to beat you from campus.
That’s not right. And it can’t stand. That’s where we come in.
I know you’re busy today. I know there’s a part of you that says this isn’t your problem. There’s a part of you that says “everyone else is going to help, I don’t need to.” Please warm up your backhand and slap that part of you around a little bit. We need YOU today!
Please take five minutes (out of the 1,440 you have today) and fire off a quick email or phone call to each of the CMU officials listed below. Ask them to support Dennis Lennox’s right to free expression and political thought. Ask them to toss the bogus anti-speech “charges” that are being bandied about. Ask them to stand up for a little thing we like to call the Constitution.
Here is the contact information... five minutes...:
CMU President Michael Rao:
Email: president@cmich.edu
Phone: (989) 774-3131
Assistant Dean of Students Anthony Voisin:
Email: anthony.a.voisin@cmich.edu
Phone: (989) 774-3016
Board of Trustees Chairman Jeffrey Caponigro (R):
Email: capon1jr@cmich.edu
Phone: (248) 355-3200
Board of Trustees member Stephanie Comai (R):
Email: comai1s@cmich.edu
Phone: (734) 761-6915
Board of Trustees member John Kulhavi (R):
Email: kulha1jg@cmich.edu
Phone: (248) 737-6222
Board of Trustees member Gail Torreano (R):
Email: torre1gf@cmich.edu
Phone: (313) 223-7171
It may well be that Mr. Lennox is being railroaded ... but this story does nothing to convince me of it. As I've said many times: I am automatically on my guard when a sensational story is told from the single perspective of the alleged victim.
It’s not the fault of the student that administrators are too embarrassed to speak to the media.
Aside from the fact that they're legally prevented from doing so ... I imagine that you'd be equally up in arms if they did start telling their side of the story in public.
Bad weather delays expulsion hearing for student opposing Gary Peters
The Saginaw News | January 30, 2008 | Andy Hoag
Posted on 01/31/2008 8:37:01 AM EST by michiganguy
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1962515/posts
[snip] “I haven’t been notified yet if it has been rescheduled,” Lennox said. “I hope the school would drop the matter and stop bullying me.” ...Lennox said the incidents happened Oct. 23 as he distributed fliers for a campaign against CMU educator and political candidate Gary C. Peters, who Lennox said should “pick either Congress or campus.” The university hired Peters, a former Michigan lawmaker and state lottery commissioner, last year as its Griffin Endowed Chair in American Government. He is seeking the Democratic nomination to face Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg in Oakland County this fall. [end]
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