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Student Told To Support Gay Rights Or Get An 'F'
NewsNet5 ^ | 5/8/2

Posted on 05/08/2002 1:11:25 PM PDT by NativeNewYorker

KIRTLAND, Ohio -- What if a class assignment forced you to choose between getting a passing grade or following your moral values?

Lakeland Community College

A class at Lakeland Community College was told to wear a pink triangle for the day to symbolize gay pride.

NewsChannel5's Kareen Wynter reported that one student decided to fight it, but it almost cost him the school year.

Many students dream of graduating school with high honors, but this student said that he has little to look forward to in his final weeks.

"It's a moral issue I have," he said. "I pay tuition to come to this school. I shouldn't have to defend my moral issues."

A class project in criminal justice turned sour for the college senior, who we'll call Ian.

The assignment was to wear a pink triangle around school for the day as a symbol of gay rights and then write about the experience. Ian confronted his teacher.

"I asked 'What if a student were to feel uncomfortable with this -- would there be an alternate assignment?'" he said. "She said no."

He, in turn, got an F and faced expulsion.

So why wasn't the student offered a backup assignment? Lakeland administrators said that it is part of classroom policy.

"I think if the situation were easy, it wouldn't have been part of the curriculum," said Barbara Grano of Lakeland.

Still, faculty members said that they didn't break the rules.

"Absolutely, this student had an option," she said.

When NewsChannel5 spoke with Ian later in the day, his teacher had given him an apology note that read, in part, that the requirement was waived.

Ian said that he doesn't think things would have been resolved had NewsChannel5 not gotten involved.

"I appreciate everything you've done," he said.

His mother was happy, too.

"I was thrilled," she said. "Here's a young man who stood up for himself, and it worked."

Professors at Lakeland said that there's a list of things you can and can't challenge in the school's handbook.


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: education; gays; sasu
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To: madg
What does criminal justice have to do with gay rights? This assignment was ludicrous, though I will grant that I think colleges should be allowed to give out challenging assignments. Isn't that what debate is all about, to be assigned a side of an issue you don't necessarily agree with and defend it?

However, I would side with the kid who didn't want to wear a pink triangle. It's a free speech issue. What if the requirement was for the girls to wear a bikini and see how they felt being oogled?

I think this is a modern day "Black Like Me" thing; the only difference is that the author of "Black Like Me" choose to do it, but required to do it.

61 posted on 05/08/2002 1:59:26 PM PDT by Gophack
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To: smidge
I think he should have at least been given the option to wear a swastika.

Congratulations!

You win the all time "stupid post" on Free Republic of all time.


62 posted on 05/08/2002 2:00:13 PM PDT by SkyPilot
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To: NativeNewYorker
"would there be an alternate assignment?'

Unfortunately, the alternative assignment involved a guy named Frederick, a large bottle of Mazola oil, and flowers.

63 posted on 05/08/2002 2:02:10 PM PDT by Harrison Bergeron
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To: Harrison Bergeron
Ewwwwww!
64 posted on 05/08/2002 2:02:53 PM PDT by Dakmar
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Comment #65 Removed by Moderator

To: freedox
It seems the pink triangle is an essential aspect of the Criminal Justice program.
66 posted on 05/08/2002 2:05:17 PM PDT by stands2reason
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To: madg
Inaccurate headline. Apparently, the student was told to wear a triangle for a day, then report on his experiences. He was not told to support anything, and his position on gay rights was irrelevant.

What would your position be, if a teacher had told all her students to wear a Confederate Flag t-shirt all day, and report on the experience?

67 posted on 05/08/2002 2:07:08 PM PDT by SauronOfMordor
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To: madg
Perhaps. Nevertheless, given the information in the article, the student should have been offered an alternative assignment from the beginning. The appropriateness of the headline does not change that fact.
68 posted on 05/08/2002 2:07:13 PM PDT by MEGoody
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To: madg
Why not make him wear a swatztika?
69 posted on 05/08/2002 2:08:27 PM PDT by bribriagain
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To: Digger
wow! I didn't even see how you could bash Bush in this story, but you managed! Godisright was not banned in vain! His message lives on!
70 posted on 05/08/2002 2:08:36 PM PDT by stands2reason
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To: NativeNewYorker
You know, here on FR we get several people of a certain political persuasion, and they know who they are, telling us to shut up when it comes to criticizing homosexuals and their agenda. I think this is just one of many incidents that prove why we cannot shut up. Anyone who thinks that homosexuals are just like everyone else and want to get along is asking for trouble.
71 posted on 05/08/2002 2:12:10 PM PDT by Paul Atreides
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To: madg
Thanks for pointing that out. It makes quite a difference.

The assignment opens a student up for physical attack by knuckle-draggers, though. Very interesting assignment, but not something that should be forced on anyone. They should have been able to wear the provocative symbol of their choice.

Or kill me.

72 posted on 05/08/2002 2:15:25 PM PDT by Britton J Wingfield
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To: stands2reason
It seems the pink triangle is an essential aspect of the Criminal Justice program.

Or maybe it was the Bermuda Triangle?

73 posted on 05/08/2002 2:18:14 PM PDT by A. Pole
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To: elbucko
I thought it was, "That which is not mandatory is forbidden."
74 posted on 05/08/2002 2:19:01 PM PDT by LibertyGirl77
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To: Puppage
ir·re·gard·less Pronunciation Key (r-gärdls) adv. Nonstandard

... Regardless.

[Probably blend of irrespective, and regardless.]

.... Usage Note: Irregardless is a word that many mistakenly believe to be correct usage in formal style, when in fact it is used chiefly in nonstandard speech or casual writing. Coined in the United States in the early 20th century, it has met with a blizzard of condemnation for being an improper yoking of irrespective and regardless and for the logical absurdity of combining the negative ir- prefix and -less suffix in a single term. Although one might reasonably argue that it is no different from words with redundant affixes like debone and unravel, it has been considered a blunder for decades and will probably continue to be so.

Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Who cares? Now go away and get a life. And maybe someday you too can learn to live with others.

75 posted on 05/08/2002 2:19:31 PM PDT by JoeSixPack1
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To: JoeSixPack1
That'll be changed to standard in a few years. That's the beauty of the English language.

Hell, the word "D'oh" was added to the Oxford English last year.

76 posted on 05/08/2002 2:24:58 PM PDT by Britton J Wingfield
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To: the
"Following orders" is the least examined excuse ever afforded mankind.
77 posted on 05/08/2002 2:25:47 PM PDT by JoeSixPack1
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To: stands2reason
Agreed, but par for the course these days.
78 posted on 05/08/2002 2:27:35 PM PDT by DoughtyOne
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To: NativeNewYorker
Sad thing is that only ONE student said NO!! ONE!!
79 posted on 05/08/2002 2:27:40 PM PDT by Ann Archy
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To: NativeNewYorker
What I would have done is wear the pink triangle but then put right next to it a sign saying "What this triangle represents is a sham!!!".

Take that Lakeland...

80 posted on 05/08/2002 2:27:46 PM PDT by ColdSteelTalon
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