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11:56 am CST - June 11, 2009
Posted under Opinion
UT Austin’s Battle Against Free Speech
By Laura Elizabeth Morales
The university is thought to be the place for dialogue, debate, discussion and most importantly, diversity. Yet, administrations across the nation will stop at nothing to silence those they disagree with, usually conservative students. While conservative speakers and students are shouted down and forced to find safe ground on campus by the left; those same individuals on the left constantly appeal to the belief of free speech, acceptance, tolerance and diversity.
A shining example of this behavior comes from the Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT) chapter at the University of Texas at Austin. In the spirit of diversity, YCT set up a recruitment table across the street from the training to distribute flyers, recruit new members and poke a little fun at the diversity training.
“Suddenly, we noticed two young male orientation leaders approaching us…they proceeded to engage us by immediately telling us we could not be there passing out flyers,” said Brianna Becker, UT student and Vice Chairman of Chapter Development.
The UT Austin students asked to see a student handbook so that they could conclude whether or not they were in violation of any university rules, but such a thoughtful and polite discussion was not on the agenda for the male orientation leaders. Instead, in the spirit of diversity, the orientation leaders confiscated flyers from the students. Then things took a turn for the worse.
“An orientation leader stretched out his arm, clutching the severed leg of a table, to create a physical barrier from the four of us and the steady stream of students. We were perceived as a physical threat because we wished to offer an alternate conservative viewpoint to the new students of our University,” explained Becker.
During my time as a campus activist at the University of Texas at San Antonio, I saw my fair share of strange behaviors on campus from the left, but the university and its staff always believed in the right to free speech, no matter what students believed. In fact the orientation leaders asserted to the YCT chapter that they were passing flyers out in vain because no student would really want to read the conservative side of things.
“The point we would like to make, and that every proponent of free speech would agree on, is that the particular message or effectiveness of the speech does not matter, it is the speech itself which is intrinsically protected under the Constitution,” said Becker.
The orientation leaders owe an apology not just to YCT, but also to the UT Austin student body, for hypocritically trampling on free speech rights. Worst of all, this was at a diversity training event.











9 Comments
Johann
4:54 pm CST
June 11, 2009
This is nothing new. It’s been going on by most colleges & universities for decades, promoted by the liberal professors that receive grants/federal funds to write various essays promoted by the liberal wing of the Democratic party.
Anna Sentari
5:37 pm CST
June 11, 2009
From a YCT blog sounds like they actually were allowed to be in another area reserved for that with other school organizations.
‘They continually asserted that because Greek organizations were not allowed to pass out materials to students anywhere but the designated tables in the designated pavillion, in the designated times, that we were also prohibited from doing so.’
Sounds reasonable to me. Was there a reason they didn’t pass out their flyers with the Greeks and others in reserved areas? Just curious. Sounds like a tempest in a teapot.
john
7:36 pm CST
June 11, 2009
Time to sue to have university funds withheld. I personally am not very kind to lefties. I might want ti identify the perps and rearrange a face or two off campus discreetly.
CWJensen
9:23 pm CST
June 11, 2009
UT Austin has always be known as one of the most liberal colleges in the country.
How this ever came to be is a real cunondrum. You would expect better from the state of Sam Houston, Judge Roy Bean and the Texas Rangers.
What can I say……………………A&M still best reflexs the true values of most Texans. Maybe if we moved the capital to College Station we could get a voter ID passed and young Conservatives could pass out their information to those who appreciate it.
JR
12:15 am CST
June 11, 2009
This behavior from the left wing radicals shouldn’t suprise anyone. They want to be thought of as the bastions of free speech and free thinking, but that’s only if you think and speak like them. Their intolerance is appauling. Isn’t it the conservatives that are supposed to be the intolerant ones here? This is just another in a long and sordid lline of hypocrises from the “Don’t take responsibility for anything blame it on rebublicans”, democrats. I believe that if I heard one democrat take responsibility for anything that they did that was bad and actually own up to something, I believe the heavens would turn over. Does anyone really know what exactly democrats stand for? The democrats are so busy trying to be everything to everybody that they wind up being nothing to nobody. You send your kids off to college now days not to be taught but to be indoctranated, and no one seems really care. They’re not being taught the virtures of capitalism, and what made this country great. They’re being indoctranated by professors that were 60’s radicals that have never grown up. I can’t even phathom how these radicals like Bill Ayers and his wife could even get near a college campus. What is wrong with the presidents of the universities? Diversity is what college used to be all about, but now days it’s diversity of one, radicalism. Nothing else is tolerated. This has got to stop. For Pete’s sake, these are our future leaders coming out of these colleges, and if we don’t stop this indoctranation, the only thing coming out of college will be a hammer and a sickle. I’d think long and hard about sending my kids to college now. They’d go in good kids and come out marxists. Why is not more being said about this? It ain’t going away, and if anything it’s only going to get worse. What bothers me more than these college kids, are the little children that are lined up singing praises to Obama. You used to see this kind of stuff in communist Russia. These little kids should be left alone and allowed to be kids for as long as they can be. These little children don’t have a clue as to what they are doing. They’re just doing what their teachers or parents tell them to do. What’s wrong with these teachers and parents? You would think they’d have better sense than that. Parents, let your children be children. Let them enjoy being innocent children. There’s plenty of time for them to get brainwashed when they get older. Just let them be children. One more thing. I’ve said before that Austin is known as ” the San Fransico of the South”. The University of Texas is simply becoming an extension of Berkley, and it’s shameful and embarrassing, and we all have set back and let it happen. There’s always been an attitude among some Texans that California is the greatest and that everyone should follow California. Well, they may have gotten their wish with Austin and UT. As far as I’m concerned, you can have both of them. They’re about as Texan as Nancy Pelosi.
Josh Perry
10:34 am CST
June 11, 2009
@Anna Sentari
We did have a table at the Student Organization Fair held at the Alumni Center during the family BBQ, but we aren’t restricted to passing information to during just that time. But to address your concern, if an organization wanted to pass out anything at the barbeque, because it was a space reserved by New Student Services, that organization would have been restricted to the areas assigned by New Student Services, but the event discussed in this article happend elsewhere on campus and at a different time.
According to a representative from the UT Student Activities and Leadership Development with whom I had spoken earlier that afternoon, since we are a registered student organization, as long as we were not in a reserved area, we were free to pass out literature to students (as is always the case). Because of that, we made sure to be in a location across the street from the Hogg Auditorium, so that we were not encroaching on a reserved space.
The young men who came and talked to us eventually admitted that they didn’t have a reason as to why we couldn’t pass out the fliers and admitted we had the right to do so (after first telling us that we couldn’t pas out the fliers), but continued to ask us why we were doing it and told us it was “a waste of time” because the students didn’t want to nor would they read it. Then the one with the table leg got between us and the students walking by and formed a barrier and started telling the students not to take or read the fliers and started trying to take them up.
Josh Perry
Young Conservatives of Texas
University of Texas Chapter
Sergeant-At-Arms
Eneida Pleasant
12:45 pm CST
June 11, 2009
We must never give up to help young people stand up to bullies. Thanks to all that are exposing such bad behavior. The more we expose and say that this is not acceptable behavior, the more we are chipping away at the huge liberal wall of intolerance. Young people get their opinions from adults that are taking advantage of vulnerable minds with sweet sounding lies of evil self righteousness. These bullies don’t even understand that they have been duped into believing that strong arming an oponant is winning! How stupid can young people get!! Ugh, it makes me question our educational system. Where is the protection by the professors for students for free speach! Where are they hiding? Where are the parents? Why is there no penalty to this type of behavior? It’s just common courtesy to hear an oppnants point of view. Why is there such bullying going on? Where are these students learning this type of behavior is acceptable. Sounds like our education is more Marxist or Nazi ! Unbelievable!!!
Edie
1:12 pm CST
June 11, 2009
Young Conservatives of Texas, I applaud and stand with you. You will succeed.
What most liberals do not understand is, Conservative is just plain common sense.
Common Sense is lacking in most liberals. Their actions leave no doubt as to my conclusion.
Proof is with the student with the table leg: His actions are radical, intolerant and totally ignorant. Where is the Common Sense? Son, were you raised in a barn? I generally do not question the parent(s), but in this case, “What did you teach your son, or not?” I feel sorry for you parents. You did a poor job of raising your child. Manners, respect, common courtesy, common sense, are all devoid of his exhibited actions.
I know we can not control our children’s actions once they are “grown”, but if we raise up a child in the way he should go, it generally sticks with them and they do not embarrass us.
Sad that the actions of this deranged student go unpunished. He should be reprimanded and taught a few common courtesies, like respect and tolerance for others.
Mike
10:00 pm CST
June 11, 2009
Hmmmm…funny those “Mommy he hit me” types overlooked the line”… and poke a little fun at the diversity training”. I can’t imagine what “poking a little fun could be”, but if you want to sling mud and then cry foul when you get smacked in the face for it, well you should keep your mouth shut in the first place. Looks like these YCTs mouthed off a bit more than what they could handle. Repression of free speech my a***
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