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Conservatives on campus? A case for courts
Mpls. Star Tribune ^ | 1/14/12 | Katherine Kersten

Posted on 01/14/2012 4:43:00 PM PST by rhema

What was Tom Emmer thinking when he applied for a faculty position at Hamline University? Surely he knows that our campus intelligentsia generally view conservatives like him as knuckle-dragging Neanderthals.

At many campuses, Emmer might have made it to the second round of interviews if he had been a disabled "person of color" or confused about his sexuality. But even then he probably couldn't have overcome the cardinal rule of campus "diversity" -- diversity of political views will not be tolerated.

Given his rejection by Hamline (after he thought he had a job), Emmer might be pleased to know that some aspiring conservative faculty members who are victims of political discrimination are gaining new traction through the courts.

Take Teresa Wagner, whose case was recently considered by the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction over Iowa, Minnesota and other Midwestern states.

Some might question Wagner's sanity, since she applied -- and was turned down for -- a position at a law school whose 50-member faculty includes only one registered Republican.

Was this hotbed of liberalism Berkeley, or an Ivy League university where (one suspects) conservatives risk being burned at the stake?

No. The school in question was in the heart of Corn Country: the University of Iowa.

As a conservative, Wagner was guilty of several "venial" sins that the high priests of faculty diversity might have forgiven had she confessed and begged for absolution.

But Wagner had committed one unforgivable sin: She is prolife, and actually once worked for the National Right to Life Committee in Washington, D.C.

A law school dean advised her to disguise her past -- in particular, her offer of a tenure-track position at one of the few American law schools that don't immediately run conservatives off campus.

Two deans actually recommended her

(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; US: Iowa; US: Minnesota
KEYWORDS: academia; emmer; liberalfascism; prolife; teresawagner; universityofiowa

1 posted on 01/14/2012 4:43:06 PM PST by rhema
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To: Caleb1411; MplsSteve
The judges who ruled for Wagner found this disregard for the Constitution deeply troubling. In deciding that her case may proceed to trial, they quoted William O. Douglas, one of the most liberal U.S. Supreme Court Justices of the last half century: "No more direct assault on academic freedom can be imagined than for the school authorities to [refuse to hire] a teacher because of his or her philosophical, political, or ideological beliefs."

Unfortunately, though today's universities purport to worship at the altar of diversity, the first rule in their creed is that diversity of ideas will not be tolerated.

2 posted on 01/14/2012 4:45:19 PM PST by rhema ("Break the conventions; keep the commandments." -- G. K. Chesterton)
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To: rhema
“The school in question was in the heart of Corn Country: the University of Iowa.”

U of I is just Berkley in a corn field. When I drove for Trailways I picked up near the campus. During the last election a group of “activists” loaded twenty or so Spanish speaking people on the bus with tickets for Chicago. They had sheets on them with pictographic voting directions, lots of little donkeys. I assume they had already voted in Iowa.

3 posted on 01/14/2012 5:00:12 PM PST by CrazyIvan (Obama's birth certificate was found stapled to Soros's receipt.)
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To: rhema

The (Red)Star-Trib ran this story? Notmally the only place less tolerant of conservatism than a college campus is a newspaper editor’s office.


4 posted on 01/14/2012 5:05:29 PM PST by Gil4 (Sometimes it's not low self-esteem - it's just accurate self-assessment.)
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To: CrazyIvan
I assume they had already voted in Iowa.

Another thing they do is encourage liberal college students to register at home and at the home of the university, and then vote in both. Liberals are a minority but they make of the difference by creating phantom voters.

5 posted on 01/14/2012 7:34:42 PM PST by Mind-numbed Robot
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To: Gil4

The Star and Sickle keeps one conservative columnist in the general vicinity of the building to avoid charges of utter and absolute bias.

However, they chose the wrong token. Katherine Kersten is a gem.


6 posted on 01/15/2012 2:32:16 PM PST by Colonel_Flagg (Why, yes. I AM in a bad mood.)
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