Campus Informer - April 20, 2005

Hunger strikes, hellfire and damnation, Coke boycotts, student music downloaders sued and more campus controversy.

By Marcus Mrowka, George Washington University

Welcome to Campus Informer, our weekly round-up of notable news from campuses around the country, culled from scores of college newspapers nationwide.

Gays, Catholics, and Atheists, Oh My!
The University of South Carolina had some unwanted guests last week. Several fundamentalist Christians visited the campus last Thursday afternoon, telling students they were going to hell for a myriad of offenses including being gay, being Catholic, having sex, drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes and being atheists. Students say John Duncan, a preacher from out of town, screamed at students for various sins and told them the former pope was “burning in hell.” On his Web site, Duncan describes himself as a born-again, Trinitarian, Holiness Pentecostal, and describes mission trips to 93 campuses in 33 states.

Bye Bye Bill of Rights
If one California state senator has his way, a student’s right to assemble may be eliminated at California public universities. Senate Bill 337, introduced by State Sen. Abel Maldonado, would mandate the expulsion from public universities of students who “riot,” “incite a riot,” “remain present at the scene of a riot after a warning to disperse” or “assemble for the purpose of disturbing the public peace.” Students would have to wait at least one year to reapply to their school after the incident. The bill is vague on the definition of what constitutes a riot or what inciting a riot actually means. This is exactly what concerns some opponents of the bill, who worry that it may hinder students’ right to speech and dissent. The UC system has long been synonymous with student activism…could SB 337 spell the end of that rich history?

Northwestern Student Paper Boosts Academic Freedom Bill
Northwestern University could be the latest school to adopt the so-called Academic Bill of Rights touted by right-winger David Horowitz. But are students getting the wool pulled over their eyes? By reading their campus paper, one might think that the bill would be the magic answer for all diversity problems ever and that students should welcome the bill with open arms. The Daily Northwestern ran an article Tuesday entitled “Students Support Bill on Diversity Before ASG.” The article said that the bill “ensures faculty and students will not be discriminated against for political and religious beliefs and it calls for a variety of perspectives to be represented in class.” The article fails to mention that Northwestern is already an equal opportunity employer with a policy that already prohibits hiring, housing, or admitting students based on that criteria. The article also fails to address the fact that none of the students interviewed indicated that their professors’ politics had any affect on their teaching. The reporter did not report on anyone who felt they had been discriminated against by so-called liberal professors. Students deserve a truly fair and balanced look at a bill that could fundamentally change the way they are taught. There is a difference between the political engagement the article describes between some students and professors and actual discrimination that the article didn’t capture.

Drop the Coke
Coke, Diet Coke, Coke with Lime, Coke with Lemon…But have you ever heard of Killer Coke? A national campaign is urging college campuses to end contracts with the famous beverage company. Campuses across the country rely on Coke contracts for millions of dollars in extra funding each year. But one group, Campaign to Stop Killer Coke, is demanding that schools end their contracts with the soda giant until the company addresses its labor practices and human rights abuses to which the company has been linked. The campaign claims that Coca-Cola officials in Columbia permitted and encouraged paramilitaries in that country to unlawfully detain, torture, and murder trade union leaders. 71 campuses across the country have a campaign going, and 6 colleges have ended their contracts with the company already. Bard College adopted a policy holding vendors “to a high standard of business ethics.” Campaign organizers predict three more major universities will soon end their involvement with Coke because of the growing student movement.

RIAA Sues Everyone, MPAA Follows Suit
Last week the recording industry filed over 400 lawsuits against students at 18 different colleges based on copyright infringement. The lawsuits coincided with a larger sting of 1000 people one day earlier, representing the largest set of lawsuits to date regarding Internet piracy. The Recording Industry Association of America says it targeted students who use Internet2, a network used at colleges to share files and applications at very high speeds. The RIAA announced it has evidence of illegal file sharing at 144 other universities and those campuses will receive letters concerning the illegal activity shortly. The RIAA began its first round of lawsuits in 2003. These latest suits bring the number of lawsuits nationwide to 10,305. Following the standard set by the RIAA, the Motion Picture Association of America filed suits against students at 12 campuses nationwide.

Publish or perish??
The University of Mississippi student newspaper issued an apology Monday for running an ad last week that the paper called “offensive” and “racist.” The ad, bought by the conservative pro-white, anti-immigration group American Renaissance, features a photo of a blonde baby with the caption, “Will She be a Racial Minority by the Time She Turns 40?” It then reads, “Everyone tells you to celebrate diversity, but for whites to celebrate diversity is for them to celebrate their dwindling numbers and declining influence.” American Renaissance says it bought the ad to fuel debate on the issue on campus and called the paper’s decision to withdraw the ad “cowardly and close minded.” With local media coverage, a public apology from the Daily Mississippian, letters to the editor, and whole class sessions dedicated to debating the issues raised by the ad, it seems they may have gotten what they wanted. American Renaissance says it attempted to place the ad in a handful of school papers, but Mississippi was the first to publish it. Some schools flatly denied the ad. Others haven’t made their decision yet. Should your campus publications turn down political ads because they disagree with them or find them offensive, or should they cash the check, print the ad, and let the chips fall where they may? Discuss on the blog.

Labor Organizer Expelled for Minor Infraction
Last week a Clark Atlanta University student was placed on “indefinite suspension” as the result of his effort to organize a student/labor forum. The forum was planned to help campus employees cope with their working conditions. Organizers hoped it would lead both to better working conditions for employees and better service on campus. Representatives from the AFL-CIO, SEIU, and other labor groups were slated to attend. The event was meant to coincide with the National Student Labor Week of Action. But on the day of the event, the university told organizers they would have to cancel the event, citing a violation of the student honesty code and an improperly obtained venue. Organizer Robert Patillo was brought before a series of disciplinary conferences and indefinitely suspended from the university on the grounds that he turned in an incorrect requisition form. The Dean is letting him finish his semester at the school, but Patillo is in the process of trying to transfer to another institution.

Another Hunger Strike
Following in the successful footsteps of students at Georgetown, twelve students at Washington University in St. Louis participated in a hunger strike for a living wage for low-paid university employees such as groundskeepers and food service workers. Fifteen students had been staging a sit-in for nine days before the twelve decided to go without food. The hunger strike lasted six days before university officials agreed to meet with students. The students say they will continue their sit-in until a meeting with university officials later this week. Similar protests are in the works at Yale University, Columbia University and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.