READ THIS LETTER FROM MY UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT...

[massadvj]

The following letter was sent out today to a campus-wide list that includes all students, faculty and staff. The university shall remain nameless, but those of you who know me know which one it must be.  Suffice to say it is a taxpayer-funded state institution.

Dear Campus Community,
 
I am writing to reaffirm the importance of advocating for an environment wherein all those associated with the university can feel valued and safe.

Once again, we have had posters displayed on campus promoting a group not affiliated with the university.   These posters also express values not consistent with our university values.  While we must keep in mind that all individuals have the right to free speech on our campus, our university rejects all forms of racism, bigotry and discrimination.
 
I will be creating a task force in August consisting of faculty, staff, community, and student leaders to establish protocols on how to address these situations.  Understanding the wide boundaries our first amendment provides to our citizens, there are actions we can take to ensure that our university is defined by our values – not the values of outside groups.  We must fight speech that is inconsistent with our values with more speech that addresses our tolerance, strength of our diversity, and respect for all people.  I witnessed such positive speech this past Wednesday night wherein our students organized a vigil for diversity and eight students spoke with eloquence and passion about inclusiveness and our common values.  It is through such events that we fight against the voices of intolerance.

We ask that should you see something on our campus that is inconsistent with our values, please report what you have found to the Dean of Students Office.   We also ask that should individuals be contacted by outside groups, while each employee and student has the right to speak as a free individual, all inquiries representing a university position should be referred to our University Relations Office.

If you feel the need to access specific resources as an individual or with a group, or feel that you have been harassed or discriminated against, please reach out to trusted offices on campus including the following:

GLBTQ Resource Center: (484) 646-4111
Office of Multicultural Services: (610) 683-4197
Office of Social Equity: (610) 683-4700
University Counseling Center: (610) 683-4072
Women's Center: (610) 683-4655

Note that university budgets are being squeezed to the bone these days, but the state seems to have plenty of money for five different administrative offices to do what the police could easily do.  The reason?  Patronage, my friends.  Patronage.

[ABX]

Based on the phone number, a quick check and it looks like that White Nationalist group Evropa has hit this school. They have been plastering schools a lot lately. Usually it causes more of a backlash by the community than it helps them, but they seem to be growing.

http://www.berksmontnews.com/article/BM/20170208/NEWS/170209941

[The_Reader_David]

Note that university budgets are being squeezed to the bone these days, but the state seems to have plenty of money for five different administrative offices to do what the police could easily do.  The reason?  Patronage, my friends.  Patronage.

No, those offices aren't there to do what the police could easily do, at least not unless police in Allentown and environs have been retasked with coddling precious snowflakes, backing up crybullies, and validating the overweening pride that some student take in being female, having ancestors from Africa or Central America, or engaging in exotic sexual practices of the sort that used to be describes as "contrary to nature".

[truth_seeker]

Putting matters in historical perspective, 50 years ago we were preparing to go to the moon, protect free speech and equality.

Kids demonstrated on campus, and if they got too violent, the police restrained them.

Today I truly doubt we could mount another moon program, and a possible majority no longer value free speech (least of all universities).

We witness the very party which claims to oppose illegal immigration, and socialized medicine, unable to execute what they have been giving lip service too, for decades.

Individual district judges are blocking a reasonable measure by the President to keep citizens more safe.

In California, homeless rights prevail over community preservation.

So called "conservatism," is all over the place, and ineffective. I think people that like, and that don't like Trump, could agree with that statement.

Your elected representatives chose Paul Ryan to lead them.

[geronl]

It always amazes me that "inclusiveness" always gets invoked as a reason to exclude people and ideas and speech