It’s encouraging in this era of triggers and microaggressions that some universities are refusing to kowtow to the demands of snowflakes.
At the same it’s discouraging to watch the tantrums some students throw when they are deprived of their imaginary safe spaces.
As an example of such an action and reaction can be found at the University of Maryland, where a coalition of minority students recently demanded that symbols of hate be banned on campus.
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According to the student newspaper, The Diamondback, Deputy General Counsel and Chief of Staff Diane Krejsa provided the school’s official reaction llast month at a University Senate meeting, where she said:
This is not a home. If people are paying money to come to college because they want a home — where people all think alike and everybody has the same political views, and the same social views and the same views on sexual orientation and transgender and whatever religion or whatever it is — they should stay at home.
Krejsa’s definition of home as a place where everyone agrees is a little curious, but the overarching message — that divergent opinions are acceptable and even welcome at a university — is on point.
So how did the protesters interpret her response?
UMD admin has made it clear that there is no need for students of color to feel safe and welcomed on this campus #UMDNotAHome https://t.co/jKc2mNQ28K
— Muslim Alliance for Social Change UMD (@UMD_MASC) November 2, 2017
We ask admin to protect minorities on campus and this is what we get. #UMDNotAHome https://t.co/tbKRJRdvU1
— PLUMAS UMD (@plumasatumd) November 2, 2017
One student was evidently unable to express himself without dropping an f-bomb:
Racism, homophobia, & transphobia are not political or social views. It’s fucking hate and it has no place on campus period #UMDNotAHome https://t.co/8Gr35pam86
— … (@BolivianGringho) November 2, 2017
Sounds like a “hateful” message, doesn’t it?
A group called Fearless Student Employees whose Twitter avatar is a stylized Black Power fist tweeted:
Ok, so #UMDNotAHome and also not a workplace, so what is #UMD?
— UMD Graduate Labor Union (@UMD_GLU) November 2, 2017
Good question. Maybe some enterprising philosophy or humanities teacher will assign an essay on that topic to his students.
According to Campus Reform:
University Police Chief David Mitchell later attempted to clarify Kresja’s comments, noting that the mere expression of a hate symbol does not rise to the level of criminal misconduct and therefore cannot legally be banned on a public university campus.
“The hate crime statute in Maryland is predicated on crime occurrence, it begins with criminal misconduct,” he elaborated, saying that while he doesn’t “want to diminish the act,” the law “is such that [just] placing a noose … doesn’t rise to the level of criminal misconduct.”
This was interpreted by one student to mean:
tl;dr UMD+its police won’t do anything until a crime has been committed, aka after humans have already been harmed or killed. #UMDNotAHome pic.twitter.com/loztejAicZ
— jessica (@jluwrites) November 2, 2017
Another group, this time of activists who tweet using the name of Marxist agitator Jaime Hurtado, challenged the administration to rethink its position.
@presidentloh We think you all need to regroup, discuss and reevaluate who you allow to make your statements #UMDNotAHome pic.twitter.com/you5BCn0bo
— Jaime Hurtado (@Protect_UMD) November 2, 2017
Some might view this as a threat.
