Students, Professors Send Letter to UVA Head Criticizing Her For Quoting Thomas Jefferson

Liberty Blitzkrieg ^ | 15 November 2016 | Michael Krieger

[Lorianne]

Snowflake university culture in America may have just hit peak safe-space stupidity.

Here’s what happened according to the University of Virginia’s Cavalier Daily:

::

Several professors on Grounds collaborated to write a letter to University President Teresa Sullivan against the inclusion of a Thomas Jefferson quote in her post-election email Nov. 9.

In the email, Sullivan encouraged students to unite in the wake of contentious results, arguing that University students have the responsibility of creating the future they want for themselves.

“Thomas Jefferson wrote to a friend that University of Virginia students ‘are not of ordinary significance only: they are exactly the persons who are to succeed to the government of our country, and to rule its future enmities, its friendships and fortunes,’” Sullivan said in the email. “I encourage today’s U.Va. students to embrace that responsibility.”

Note that Jefferson was specifically addressing the UVA student body in the chosen quote. It’s pretty obvious why she chose that particular one.

Some professors from the Psychology Department — and other academic departments — did not agree with the use of this quote. Their letter to Sullivan argued that in light of Jefferson’s owning of slaves and other racist beliefs, she should refrain from quoting Jefferson in email communications.

“We would like for our administration to understand that although some members of this community may have come to this university because of Thomas Jefferson’s legacy, others of us came here in spite of it,” the letter read. “For many of us, the inclusion of Jefferson quotations in these e-mails undermines the message of unity, equality and civility that you are attempting to convey.”

The letter garnered 469 signatures — from both students and professors — before being sent out via email Nov. 11. Signees included Politics Prof. Nicholas Winter, Psychology Prof. Chad Dodson, Women, Gender and Sexuality Prof. Corinne Field, College Assistant Dean Shilpa Davé, Politics Prof. Lynn Sanders and many more. Asst. Psychology Prof. Noelle Hurd drafted the letter.

“The intention of the email was to start a conversation with our administration regarding ways to be more inclusive,” Hurd said in an email statement. “In the current climate, we must seize every opportunity to communicate that this university welcomes individuals from all backgrounds.”

Politics Prof. Lawrie Balfour said she believes everyone who signed the letter, including herself, was grateful that Sullivan responded to anxiety following the election — however, many felt it was the wrong moment to turn to Jefferson, following incidents of identity-related hate speech.

“I’ve been here 15 years,” Balfour said. “Again and again, I have found that at moments when the community needs reassurance and Jefferson appears, it undoes I think the really important work that administrators and others are trying to do.”

Not all signees believe the University should move away from quoting Jefferson in all email correspondence, including Balfour.

How generous of them. What’s more incredible, is that apparently some signees do think there should be a blanket shadow ban on Jefferson quotations.

SNIP

[Darteaus94025]

Try Karl Mark next time, or some other Communist responsible for the mass deaths of millions of innocent people. That seems to not upset Lie-berals and Dhimmicrats.

[Williams]

When are we going to say “enough”?

How about the parents of these kids?

[Bob434]

UVA Head should pass a rule saying that each day must be started with a quote from jefferson until every last precious snowflakes gets it through their thick skulls that their ‘feelings’ do not trump reality

[lurk]

Political correctness. Codified insanity.

[Dilbert San Diego]

I think Jefferson founded that university?

What the heck; you can’t acknowledge the founder of your university, because he wasn’t liberal enough by today’s standards??? You can’t quote our 3rd president??

So are the liberals still going to have Jefferson Jackson dinners, or are both Jefferson and Jackson to be shunned for not having had a 21st century liberal worldview back in the 19th century????

[HLPhat]

"ways to be more inclusive"

"...truth is great and will prevail if left to herself, that she is the proper and sufficient antagonist to error, and has nothing to fear from the conflict, unless by human interposition disarmed of her natural weapons, free argument and debate, errors ceasing to be dangerous when it is permitted freely to contradict them. "

 

"I HAVE SWORN UPON THE ALTAR OF GOD ETERNAL HOSTILITY TO EVERY FORM OF TYRANNY OVER THE MIND OF MAN"

--The Virginia Act For Establishing Religious Freedom
--Thomas Jefferson, 1786

https://www.google.com/webhp?#q=truth%20is%20great%20and%20will%20prevail%20if%20left%20to%20herself

 

Well, how'bout NOT disarming Truth of her natural weapons - free argument and debate?

You know that whole "infidels of every denomination" thing and all...

[Cicero]

Well, then, why are these snowflake students attending this slave-history college?

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

University suggests being open to all information and facts

They should change their name from "University" to "MONOVERSITY" - since they find controversy so offensive.
It used to be that college and university was supposed to help make you cognitively think, not defined to just protect "snowflakes".

[rightwingcrazy]

I wonder how many of those Profs believed 5-10 years ago in even half of the politically correct canon that is current for 2016? Even less so for 2017 and beyond. Maybe they should refrain from quoting themselves, or each other, for that matter.

[CrazyIvan]

These swiveling little twits should have the ridiculousness of their thought processes succinctly explained to them. By Lee Ermey.

[generally]

>> in light of Jefferson’s owning of slaves and other racist beliefs, she should refrain from quoting Jefferson in email communications.

In light of every person on earth having done something bad at some point in their lives, we should all refrain from quoting anyone ever. /s

[Gamecock]

I have known many UVa grads and they take great pleasure in calling it “Mr. Jefferson’s University.”

I suspect a lot of money will dry up real fast if this nonsense isn’t squashed.

They need only look at MIZZOU to see what happens when the PC Circus comes to town.

[WayneS]

I live in Virginia and I pay taxes here. UVA is a publicly funded school.

In my letter to my state delegate and state senator asking them to reduce funding to "The University", I will be including the following quote:

"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." -- Thomas Jefferson

[Gamecock]

My 13

[seawolf101]

I hate to think what is going to happen to all these snowflakes when they have to go to work at Mcdonalds.

[xzins]

I am so glad I’m not in college. It’s been years, we had some insanity, but nothing like this.

Thought police in a university. It is so opposite what we were always taught a university represented.

[USMCPOP]

Most excellent.

[Honorary Serb]

Thomas Jeffersons was the FOUNDER of UVa, which was a very innovative institution for its time.

He was also one of the USA’s Founding Fathers, and a President who even had the foresight and gumption to fight islam, as we should be doing now!!!!

“Inclusion”is BS!!!!

“Diversity” is BS!!!!

Trump WON—fair and square!!!! And it is a good thing, too!!!! GET OVER IT!!!!

[Chewbarkah]

By working for or attending a university founded by someone they so detest, the professors and students who signed the petition are, in their own interpretation of Jefferson, knowingly endorsing racism and slavery. They should resign and withdraw immediately. At minimum, the profs should refuse fat paychecks and benefit packages paid for by the tax slaves of Virginia.