Posted on 03/25/2005 9:37:10 AM PST by KidGlock
Offended students find GOP bake sale tasteless
Friday, March 25, 2005
By Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood and Barton Deiters
The Grand Rapids Press
ALLENDALE --A white guy could buy a cupcake for $2 from the College Republicans' bake sale this week at Grand Valley State University. But prices dropped dramatically for other customers, based on race and gender.
The student group was willing to let the sweet treats go for 75 cents to blacks and white women, while it charged Asians and Hispanics 50 cents. The price for American Indians? Just a nickel.
The point, said organizer Kyle Rausch, was to challenge affirmative action policies that give preference to women and minorities.
If the goal was to draw attention rather than sell cupcakes, it worked. Rausch and his group sold only one cupcake and now could face disciplinary action for the stunt.
"The idea was to bring controversy," Rausch said, adding: "We were not in any way trying to mock affirmative action. If people walked by and were offended, that was not our intention."
So far, four students have filed complaints with GVSU's Student Life Office, and a misconduct review process is under way. Several people denounced the sale during a Student Senate meeting Thursday in Grand Rapids.
The university's student code states "Every aspect of University life should be free from discrimination ..."
If a nine-member review board of staff and students determines the College Republicans crossed the line, the group could be suspended and lose university funding and the privilege to meet on campus. It received $1,625 in university funds this year.
"You can have a discussion and bring awareness, but you can't go out and discriminate to make that happen," said Bob Stoll, director of Student Life. "They had poor judgment."
Several black students have demanded an apology, but Rausch said he doesn't intend to offer one, and that he'd do it the same way if he had it to do over again.
"It's nice that it can stimulate discussion," he said.
Similar sales have occurred on college campuses throughout the country, with administrators' responses ranging from eye-rolling disregard to official censure.
Student Kim Pierson said the issue is not affirmative action, but the fact that the College Republicans "crossed a bold line" that subjected students to blatant discrimination.
The Republicans had university permission to set up a table and sell baked goods as a group fund-raiser in the Kirkhof Center on the Allendale campus Monday. However, Stoll said the university did not approve the way the students went about the sale.
"To do something this offensive is not appropriate," Stoll said.
Ashley Chaney, a Grand Rapids junior and editor of Stand UP!, a campus newsletter serving black students, said the bake sale was offensive.
"If you're against affirmative action, that's fine, but you need to be respectful of other people," Chaney said.
Rausch said the sale was a form of free speech.
"It's an academic forum, and the university is going to try to stifle that," Rausch said. "If it's OK to get a cheaper education from a taxpayer subsidy, why isn't it OK to get cheaper food?"
This is not the first time the College Republicans have sparked a campus controversy. Last year, the group sponsored a campus talk by rocker Ted Nugent that offended some people.
Greg Paulsen, executive director of the College Democrats, said Rausch's actions were a cheap stunt that does nothing to foster debate.
"This is not leadership. It's attention-getting," Paulsen said,
Grand Valley administrators have made efforts to boost minority recruitment, but say they do not give admission preference based on race. All students must be academically qualified.
"Race is never a deciding factor," said Jodi Chycinski, GVSU's director of admissions.
so feminist study seminars which bash men and the paternalist governemnt are ok?
Universities are becoming useless.
IF anything a degree in a PC subject is an indication a person is unqualified for ANY employment.
You need to "upgrade" to the "Penumbras and Emanations" version the USSC uses.
shhhhh its a secret.
You need the Foreign Judicial Decisions Addendum that only the SCOTUS has access too.
"Ashley Chaney, a Grand Rapids junior and editor of Stand UP!, a campus newsletter serving black students, said the bake sale was offensive."
Fascinating how the black students find themselves so different from the other students on campus that they have a need for their own newsletter. Some people apparently think they are quite special.
What did the folks over at the campus newsletter serving white students think? Oh, there's not one? OK, thanks.
Isn't it ridiculous when the bold line is a cupcake? These folks have no idea what discrimination really is anymore.
"The women and minorities should have gotten FREE cupcakes and Whitey should have been paying a c-note. Duh!?"
Can someone tell me what kind of college admissions advantage white women are getting these days? I know about the "women owned business" nonsense, but don't have the impression that colleges are lowering admissions standards for women like they are for blacks, hispanics, and other ethinic minorities (except asians; we can discriminate against them, apparently, because they are a successful minority group.)
RPI pays women and blacks to go to come to the school. I had a good time funding education for everyone buy myself on a federal level and a university level. Fun fun fun.
They should charge 10 dollars a cupcake in order to break even because they have to pay their employees 10 dollars an hour in min wage.
For getting a discount? The head of the College GOP needs to be more strident on this matter, and say he is doing nothing different than the University does with admissions. And if they want HIM to stop THEY should stop handing out admissions andscholarships along the same racial and gender lines.
Kimmie, affirmative action IS blatant discrimination.
For what its worth, every program run by the department I work for (under the college engineering) is expressly aimed at recruiting woman and other "minorities not represented in the sciences".
Coincidentally, me and the other computer techie are the only two males who work in the office :P
And yes, it pains me to be a cog in the wheel of diversity, but it pays the bills :P
If this makes it to some Court of Law, I'd wager that the
ACLU will NOT rush to defend these students
This time, they should give away car washes (for free) to whites maybe two, three... hell four weeks ahead of time. Oh and when Native Americans come to pay for their wash ...take their money then beat the hell out of 'em and send them on their way. Now that makes perfect sense...reveal the true reality of this thing.
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.