Hate Speech Alleged Against Bay Buchanan @ Ithaca College

http://www.ithaca.edu/ithacan/articles/0204/11/news/1bias_concern.htm ^

[IthacaRepublicans]

Bias concerns follow speech

By Joe Geraghty - Assistant News Editor April 11, 2002

The controversy surrounding conservative activist Bay Buchanan's speech last Thursday is beginning to die down. After her speech, in which she decried feminism as a cause of high divorce rates and one of the reasons for the legalization of abortion, more than 20 students approached Campus Safety officers in Emerson Suites to discuss reporting the speech as a bias-related incident.

Those students were referred to the Office of Student Affairs and Campus Life. A number of students met with Rory Rothman, associate vice president for student affairs and campus life, and other members of the Bias-related Incidents Committee.

Rothman said the committee ultimately decided the speech did not constitute a bias-related incident because Buchanan did not threaten any specific person, and she made her comments as part of a public speech. Rothman said he was pleased with the discussion that went on within the committee in response.

Senior Shelley Facente, who serves on the committee, tried to report the incident to a Campus Safety officer at the speech but was told no report would be taken because the speech occurred in a public forum and was not directed at any individual.

Facente said she was upset that a Campus Safety officer was making the decision about whether to report an incident or not rather than leaving it up to committee. She took her concerns to the committee and was satisfied with the discussion that took place among committee members.

Rothman said the committee is now looking at scenarios in which a public speech could be deemed a bias-related incident so the committee will be prepared to deal with future incidents like this one.

"What is a public forum?" Rothman asked rhetorically. "What are fighting words? This all generates very good, challenging, complex discussion."

Trouble began before Buchanan even set foot on campus when the Ithaca College Republicans, who sponsored her speech, posted fliers around campus that warned "feminazis" to beware because their Nuremberg was coming. The Republicans apologized for the fliers at an April 3 meeting attended by more than 50 students who were disturbed by the posters.

"Those posters that were up not only offended me, but scared the crap out of me," said junior Jennifer Addonizio, co-president of BiGayLa. The Student Government Association had suggested at its April 2 meeting that the Republicans consider apologizing for the posters. More than 400 people attended Buchanan?s speech. Many of them challenged her arguments and contentions during almost two hours of question and answer time that followed the speech. After her speech, Buchanan said she thought controversy over the posters was blown out of proportion.

"I think they?re completely harmless," she said. "They were well-intentioned to get attention for this speech."

Brian McAree, vice president for student affairs and campus life, said the posters were acceptable under college policy. At noon on the day of Buchanan?s speech, students held a forum at the Free Speech Rock to discuss the intent of the posters and their effect on the campus.

Senior Joey Cronen said even though the posters may have been offensive, they should not have been taken down.

"It seems pretty obvious to me that you can?t tear them down because they piss you off, especially now when free speech is under attack," he said.

[krogers58]

Oh where to start....

Being a private college Ithaca has a lot more latitude in who should be allowed to speak on campus and what subjects are discussed.

Ithaca, if it is truly a private college, is entitled to act in any manner they wish. However, they can, and will, earn the "stamp of illegitemacy", much as Bob Jones University has. Good luck finding a job, if Ithaca gets branded as radically leftist, with a company, whose leaders do not subscribe to the colleges' "philosophy". The Supreme Court, has so ruled.

Those who don’t like the choices made can find an alternative school.

This comment only serves to marginalize and diminish the argument that you are trying to make. This statement smacks of totalarianism, which is entirely the thrust of the article in question, and further serves to illustrate the fact that if one does not subscribe to your agenda, then they should not be allowed to dissent.

Free speech does not entitle anyone to come on to my property and make offensive comments to me.

With this comment, it is interesting, how you use the analogy of "my property", to disallow the differing opinion. If the argument were reversed, would this also pertain to the other sides' right to deny you the right to protest to the various "bias" commitees, were they in the majority? Unless you have a deed, or controlling interest in this college, this statement is absurd, in its entirety. Free Speech does allow someone to come to the edge of your property, and protest, as long as they don't violate your private property rights. This protest could be launched with the aid of Public address systems, which surely negate any advantage you may be attempting to gain, by denying access to your property.

[Fish out of Water]

The point I was trying to make was that being a private school Ithaca should have a lot more flexibility in what speech they allow. If we start trying to dictate what choices Ithaca has to make we are opening up a can of worms that the liberals will use against us. Being a private school Ithaca should be allowed great latitude in deciding who comes and speaks on their campus and on what subjects. It would be nice if they were more open minded but we have no right to force them to be. Any reasoning we might try to require their tolerance of other ideas could be used to force Private Christian schools to allow unchristian ideas to be freely taught and discussed.

[goodnesswins]

But, but, there were some people at Ithaca who WANTED to hear Bay Buchanan speak.....that's why I don't understand what you say.....WHO gets to decide, in other words, about who's speech is OK, and who's is not? (Who's speech is right, and who's speech is wrong?)

[Fish out of Water]

The right to make the decisions belong to the school administration.

[nutmeg]

Bump

[Fish out of Water]

There was mention in the article that the right of free speech does not apply on a private college. On the thread there was the implication free speech does apply and should be enforced by the courts. I disagree.

[stands2reason]

I bet you the student handbook mentions something about "supporting academic freedom". Well, that would be engaging in false advertising.

[Fish out of Water]

I might buy that idea.

[RIGHT IN SEATTLE]

Office of Student Affairs and Campus Life?

Hey Ithaca, eat more mosquitos!

I'm glad I left the dump you made...........

[mvpel]

My wife and I suspect that many Ithaca College students are saddled with an inferiority complex, living in the shadow of Cornell, which may explain their abberant behavior.

We think that perhaps the meter maid who gave us a ticket while I was in getting emergency plane tickets home, after my wife came down with a serious case of lobster poisoning, may have been an Ithaca College Grad.

[Travis McGee]

GAYPRIL!!??

I don't want to know!

[RIGHT IN SEATTLE]

I drove through Ithaca-----------1X, and only 1X

I'm from Rochester,-------now living in Las Vegas (0% state income tx.).

Your wife ate lobster in Ithaca?

How did you talk her into it?

[Salman]

Why "there is heightened risk of violence against the LGB community." in "Gaypril", I have no idea.

The "LGB community" has been hard at work heightening it. Too bad nobody else knows about it.
The Roman emperor Nero renamed the month of April to " Neroneus".

That didn't catch on, either.

[Xenalyte]

What the heck is "Gaypril?"

I think it's the anti-inflammatory I take for carpal-tunnel syndrome.

[Xenalyte]

Why "there is heightened risk of violence against the LGB community." in "Gaypril", I have no idea.

Maybe because it's the cruelest month. (I heard that in an English class once.)

[SkyPilot]

My wife and I suspect that many Ithaca College students are saddled with an inferiority complex, living in the shadow of Cornell, which may explain their abberant behavior

Yup.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Maybe because it's the cruelest month.

funny thing, used that same quote tonight in another context. Can't go wrong quoting Chaucer, especially in April.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

How ironic. (rolleyes)

When the hate speech is directed at the United States, the President of Ithaca College is quick to claim that “Academic freedom [is] At the heart of IC”.

Further proof that Ithaca is the City of Evil.

[NativeNewYorker]

WELCOME TO FR and God bless you folks!

I guess the folks at IC are trying to out-dumb the Reds at Cornell!

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

It looks like IC is trying it's hardest to out left the rest of the liberal armpits in the country. It's a clear case of Berkley envy.