….we have this, from Margaret Flavin’s article at thegatewaypundit.com:
Whitman College, located in Walla Walla, Washington, promises every student on its campus “freedom of expression and association.” Unless, it seems, they are Republican.
According to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), when members of the Whitman Republican Club applied to become a college-affiliated student organization, “they had every reason to expect approval through the same review process as any other group.”
The student senate, however, unanimously rejected their application. 25-0.
Immediately before the vote, members of the Associated Students of Whitman College’s Senate grilled the club’s representatives about their political views rather than limiting their questions to the club’s organization, constitution, or eligibility. Instead of using viewpoint-neutral criteria, senators asked probing, ideological questions like, “On the 2024 republican party platform subsection 18, what is your club’s take? Will you call the republican party out for things like this?” and “President Trump has made life hard for all international students. When you don’t get affiliated, what is your plan?”
The senators didn’t identify any problem with the group’s application or reason it would not be eligible for recognition. Despite “creating equal and inclusive opportunities” in the ASWC’s own mission, they told the students to scrap their plans, scrub their name, and make their mission more palatable to the senators reviewing it.
FIRE notes that without official recognition and affiliation, the Republican Club “loses access to funding, institutional support, and resources other student groups receive.”
FYI: There is a Whitman College Democratic Club. And a Whitman College Socialist Club.
But Republicans? No dice, they’re not welcome.
And if you think this type of censorship is unique to Whitman College, you are living in a dream world.
Oh, one other thing. When I asked yahoo.com for a list of Whitman Collage political clubs and organizations, it sent me this AI response:
Whitman College offers a variety of political clubs and organizations that cater to diverse political interests. These groups provide students with opportunities to engage in political discourse, advocacy, and community involvement.
Types of Political Organizations
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- Associated Students of Whitman College (ASWC): This organization supports student initiatives and facilitates discussions on campus issues, promoting inclusivity and equal opportunities.
- Political Clubs: Various clubs represent different political ideologies, allowing students to explore and discuss their views. For example, the Whitman Republican Club has faced challenges regarding its affiliation, highlighting the dynamic political environment on campus.
That’s it? Nothing more than a generic “the Whitman Republican Club has faced challenges regarding its affiliation, highlighting the dynamic political environment on campus”? No mention of WHY it was denied club status? No explanation of how denying club status for a major political party highlights a dynamic political environment on campus (which obviously is a contradiction)?
Is that an acceptable response to you? A reason to rely on AI for honest, dispassionate information?
We are in trouble. If these are the kinds of people running things at colleges and universities (and – again, trust me – Whitman College is far, far from unique) our young people are not getting educations, they are getting indoctrinations.
Where does it lead? When does it stop? Can it be stopped?
These are questions that we better address, if we want to continue as the United States Of America.
