Posted on 05/01/2002 9:56:47 AM PDT by Behind Liberal Lines
If a political drama in Ithaca was to get national attention, is it possible that some locals might not even notice? That's what happened when Ithaca College senior Shelley Facente faced off against Bay Buchanan on the editorial talk show The O'Reilly Factor, which aired last week on the Fox News Network.
The dispute which sparked the televised point-counterpoint editorial arose a few weeks ago when Ithaca College Republicans put up advertisements for a college speech by Buchanan, a well-known conservative and sister of Pat Buchanan, reading, "Feminazis: Your Nuremburg Has Come."
Following a public forum about the posters, the group issued an apology. But Buchanan's speech and reaction to it fed the flames.
Kyle Clark, president of the Ithaca College Republicans, said students were disruptive and hostile during both Buchanan's speech and the two-and-a-half-hour question and answer period that followed.
During one such exchange, Facente recalled, Buchanan responded to objections to the term "feminazi" by saying, "You people need to get a life and get a sense of humor. Feminazi is a fun word."
Facente serves on the college's bias-related incidents committee and is co-chair of its BiGayLa group.
Facente said that several students asked her whether that comment qualified as a bias-related incident. She said speech uttered during a public forum generally does not qualify, unless it is directed at an individual.
She and several students tried to report the incident, but campus safety officers told them they could not. Although Facente said she was not sure a bias incident had occurred, she thought that was for the committee to decide.
"If they're stopping it before it can get to a committee, I would say it was a real problem," she said. The committee met the next day and decided that although a bias incident had not occurred, campus safety should take all possible reports.
Rory Rothman, associate vice president for student affairs and chair of the bias-related incidents committee, said the committee's decision "ultimately reinforced the position that speech within a public forum, in this case, was not directed at a specific individual and is protected speech and does not fall within the definition of bias."
Clark said he feels the college only stood up for the rights of conservatives because the issue drew off-campus attention-first from the Cornell Review, which chastised the IC Republicans for their apology, then from national conservative media sources.
"Ithaca College has had a number of stances depending on how much sunlight is on the issue," he said. "The larger the issue has gotten, the more supportive they've been of free speech."
The existence of the bias-related incidents committee shows that the college grants one ideology an advantage over others, he added.
"Offense is part of daily life for any American because of diversity of views," he said. "The fact that one ideological persuasion has this tool to act because they're offended is somewhat suspicious."
Rothman disagreed.
"I think the college has been consistent in its commitment to being an environment where differences of opinion can be shared and rights protected," he said.
Facente said the committee does not prevent anyone from saying anything, and does not name individuals in the alerts it issues. Rather, it exists to let people know Ithaca College does not support an intolerant environment.
"I feel like as much as it's their right to put up the posters, it's our right to say we're not going to stand up for this," she said.
That's because: (a) the liberals who control Ithaca wouldn't watch "Fox" if their lives depended on it; (b) Liberals censoring conservative thought happens way too often to be news in Ithaca.
Clark said he feels the college only stood up for the rights of conservatives because the issue drew off-campus attention-first from the Cornell Review, which chastised the IC Republicans for their apology, then from national conservative media sources.
Facente said the committee does not prevent anyone from saying anything...it exists to let people know Ithaca College does not support an intolerant environment. "I feel like as much as it's their right to put up the posters, it's our right to say we're not going to stand up for this," she said.
Translation: "your right to free speech is second only to my right to censor you."
Ithaca is the City of Evil.
And they wonder why they are called FemiNazi's? These people crush anything that does not follow leftist orthodoxy. "Achtung! Schnell! Get into the ze boxcar!" said Facente as she clicked her Lugar.
Not often I see the words "sunlight" and Ithaca in the same sentence. :)
This sounds like a line form the movie "PCU"
President Garcia Thomson: "You people are out of control! Do you know that this house has enough demerits to qualify for sensitivity awareness weekend?!"
Grow up you whiny idiots..the real world awaits, and it doesn't take any PC crybabies!
But, "we're working on a *patch* to fix that."
...don't need any amazing powers of observation to read what's going on within this one's empty cranium.
Achtung! Schnell! Get into the ze boxcar!" said Facente as she clicked her Lugar."DROP THE GUN!!" said Chad as he clicked his high-power assault rifle.
http://www.ithaca.edu/ithacan/articles/0205/02/news/1debate_over_.htm
http://www.ithaca.edu/ithacan/articles/0205/02/opinion/6statement_su.htm
http://www.ithaca.edu/ithacan/articles/0205/02/opinion/3bias-related.htm
The last is an editorial from a brilliant conservative student on campus. Again, the Ithaca College Republicans are grateful for your support!
Kyle Clark
Chairman, IC Republicans
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.