Some students at Syracuse University are trying to open a Young Americans for Freedom chapter on campus. But Syracuse denied their application, listing numerous reasons, according to Campus Reform. One was that the school’s review board addressed the Sharon Statement — a pro-Constitution statement YAF members must sign — saying that “requiring students to agree in the superiority of the U.S. Constitution is exclusionary to international students and other individuals.”
Think about that for a second. Syracuse is concerned that acknowledging the U.S. Constitution as superior will marginalize students from other countries. Well, students should agree that the U.S. Constitution is superior but here’s a genius idea: if you don’t, just don’t join the group!
But that’s not the only problem the Syracuse review board has with Young Americans for Freedom. The board also called the group “undemocratic in nature,” objecting to YAF’s definition of quorum as “a majority of the total number of officers” instead of a majority of members.
I’m not sure that’s exactly “undemocratic.” I mean, it’s not direct democracy, but neither is America: it’s a representative system. Then again, Syracuse also points out that under the current structure, the YAF chairman can choose however many officers he wants and thereby outweigh the votes of other officers. Again, though, if you don’t like the group’s structure, just don’t join it.
Without becoming a recognized student organization, Young Americans for Freedom is unable to get funds from the school. What groups have been recognized and ARE able to get school funds? Oh, you know groups like the International Socialist Organization.
The American Constitution apparently isn’t inclusive, but I guess there’s nothing wrong with “Let them all in” and “capitalism sucks.”
Yeah that’s fine, but I guess calling America the best is just a little too far.
Julia Ganson, a speaker at an event called “Palestine Behind the Wall” hosted by a group called the Syracuse Peace Council, said that Hamas has done “a lot of good,” reported Campus Reform.
When told that Israel invented SMS texting (a lie) and asked if she would boycott it, Ganson answered in the affirmative. Doesn’t this just epitomize the pro-BDS and general leftist attitude towards goods and services? It doesn’t matter how ubiquitous something is, if Israelis built it, benefit from it, etc., it’s a no-go. I wouldn’t be surprised if pro-Palestinians start boycotting air next week because Israelis also breathe it, don’t you know.
Avigyle Carmeli, another speaker, suggested that violence can be used to retaliate against ideologies perceived as racist.
Now, here’s the thing: I don’t think this Syracuse Peace Council event happened on campus. But two majors at Syracuse University — a citizenship one and then a writing one — offer credit to students who intern for the Council.
So like I mentioned before, Syracuse students can get credit for two of their majors by interning for this group. And none of this is really shocking from the school that splurged $5 million on a social justice center and suspended 16 frat students after seeing video from a vulgar, but satirical skit.
Guess that’s what you get for going to school in New York.
Syracuse University suspended 15 students for one to two years after the unearthing of videos in which the students say things which, while pretty nasty, clearly fall under free speech and free expression, according to The Daily Caller News Foundation.
Well, Syracuse chancellor Kent Syverud brought out all of the pejoratives of racist, sexist, anti-Semitic, etc., but the fraternity said “Each semester our new members are given the opportunity to write and act out a skit, in order to roast the active brothers. This event was never intended to be centered around racism or hate. This year, one of these brothers is a conservative Republican, and the new members roasted him by playing the part of a racist conservative character. It was a satirical sketch of an uneducated, racist, homophobic, misogynist, sexist, ableist and intolerant person.”
And the students weren’t just defending themselves. Ari Cohn, a lawyer with the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a free speech nonprofit, said “labeling this obvious satire ‘harassment’ makes light of the actual cases of serious harassment that colleges should be looking to combat, and wastes resources that could be used to investigate real offenses.”
One of Syracuse’s own law professors, Gregory Germain, doesn’t agree. The school appointed him as an adviser to the accused students but didn’t let him speak during the hearings. He said the university didn’t explain how the videos constituted harassment and that the incident “sends a strong message to students that they are disposable if they unintentionally embarrass the administration….The chancellor has put the university on a course toward censorship of the worst kind: undefined censorship that can be punished after the fact, even though not foreseen. Anyone who cares about our university should be very worried about this result.”
How long before Syracuse starts punishing ALL frat and sorority members like Harvard does, blocking them from applying for Rhodes scholarships or holding campus leadership positions?
