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Campus Free Speech

Wooster Activists' Demands: Expel a Racist Student, More Diversity Training, Less Money for Ultimate Frisbee

Men's Ultimate Frisbee received $15,747.78. "Brothers of Diversity received $984."

Robby Soave | 2.6.2018 12:15 PM

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Frisbee
Steve Kingsman

Student activists at the College of Wooster have issued a list of demands, including more funding for the liberal arts college's Center for Diversity and Inclusion, the immediate expulsion of a student currently being investigated for making racist statements online, the hiring of new administrators of color, and a fix to a funding imbalance between student groups that promote diversity and athletic clubs.

"Men's Ultimate Frisbee received $15,747.78" this school year, the students wrote. "Brothers of Diversity received $984."

Activists described the imbalance as "problematic," arguing that it reflects the college's failure to advance the cause of racial harmony.

"The discrepancy between funding of groups is problematic when we review community-wide initiatives such as, the promotion of diversity and inclusion," they wrote. "The College's implicit financial favoring of non-essential diversity groups exemplifies the institutions failure to support minority groups."

Activists also want all new students and faculty members—even tenured ones—to undergo mandatory cultural sensitivity training. The curriculum would be determined by the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, with input from students.

They also asked the college to provide a means for students to report professors who make "bigoted statements," to hire administrators of color to serve as advocates for students of color who have survived sexual assault, and to provide designated safe spaces for each minority group on campus.

The list of demands also calls for the "immediate expulsion" of Drake Schwenke. Schwenke, a member of the group "Wooster Right-Wingers," and has been accused of posting anti-Semitic images on social media. The campus paper, The Wooster Voice, reports that the college is investigating Schwenke, but the activists are apparently impatient to see him expelled more swiftly. It's a matter of safety, they say:

Since the meeting, many students have called on the College to act more swiftly in disciplining Schwenke. Several students tweeted at President Bolton's official Twitter account demanding Schwenke's expulsion.

"Before I came to school my parents were promised by admin that I would be safe here," said Desi LaPoole '20 in a tweet mentioning Bolton's account. "Now they're asking me if I want to transfer to a safer school after I told them the racist Drake Schwenke is still on campus."

In a tweet referencing a similar incident where a student said she had was expelled after posting racist videos, Khorkie Tyus '18, vice president of the Black Students Association, said, "So @WoosterEdu the ball is in your court now, University of Alabama acted within a 24hr time span and we're almost at a week! This simply shows that other campuses have a higher regard for their students safety and concerns, but your lack of action can be read as complacency."

The activists also accused several staff members of perpetuating "anti-blackness, stereotyping minority groups," and "hate speech." These staff members were named; their crimes were not specified. According to Campus Reform, the student newspaper published a version of the demands that redacted the names of these faculty members, since the allegations are unproven.

Wooster President Sarah Bolton is apparently eager to pacify the activists. She has announced plans to make "more comprehensive educational efforts in the areas of cultural competency and sexual misconduct; more effective and easily accessible reporting and response mechanisms for all types of bias-related harm; and new resources for student groups engaged in work related to diversity, equity, and inclusion."

Hiring an army of additional diversity bureaucrats while spending more time, money, and effort policing microaggressions and erecting safe spaces may or may not improve race relations on campus. But that path would pose serious concerns for free expression on campus. And I can't think of anything more likely to undermine the quest for greater tolerance than cutting the Ultimate Frisbee budget.

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Robby Soave is a senior editor at Reason.

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  1. JoeBlow123   7 years ago

    That's a lot of frisbees.

  2. GILMORE?   7 years ago

    "Men's Ultimate Frisbee received $15,747.78" this school year, the students wrote. "Brothers of Diversity received $984."

    Activists described the imbalance as "problematic,"

    this makes sense, because to be Diverse, brothers may have to travel in a van, and stay in a cheap motel before their Diversity tournaments, whereas these White Frisbee activists can pretty much do their silly games in an empty field without any other necessities.

    All imbalances are because of oppression and must be eliminated.

    1. DJF   7 years ago

      But how many different color Frisbees do they use?

      That could be worth another 15,000.

      1. GILMORE?   7 years ago

        No: White Supremacist Disc-Throwers should be paying out of their own pocket to meet new regulations which *mandate* their use of oblong-spheroids-of-color (OSOCs). Their use of public funds is literally demanding that persons of color provide labor for their exclusionary and decadent and environmentally destructive behavior.

  3. BestUsedCarSales   7 years ago

    and to provide designated safe spaces for each minority group on campus.

    Isn't it offensive, maybe even a little dangerous, to call out and identify chosen minorities?

    1. BYODB   7 years ago

      Everyone knows it's not racist to create programs that are explicitly there to raise one race over another.

      Duh, McFly!

      /sarc

      1. AlmightyJB   7 years ago

        You just have to reference the totem pole of oppression first.

        1. Michael Ejercito   7 years ago

          Who is at the top?

          1. BYODB   7 years ago

            Some middle aged white soccer mom liberal, who obviously dictates to all the lesser races what is best for them.

            At least that's been the trend when it comes to Progressivism.

            1. Leader Desslok   7 years ago

              I don't know who's on top, but I'm pretty sure that straight white males are on bottom.

              1. vek   7 years ago

                Well, that's what everybody else thinks. They can run their mouths about us all they want, but we're still always going to be the ones running shit. The minute that competent men that run everything say "Enough is enough" this shit will stop instantly. They all think they're winning, but that's only because men, and especially white men, have been letting it all happen. We change our minds, and it's over in an instant. That's what these dumb fucks don't realize.

    2. Zeb   7 years ago

      I find it pretty offensive. It also tells anyone who actually wants to do violence against members of a minority group exactly where to go to find them.

      1. Kevin47   7 years ago

        It's almost as if they don't regard that event as particularly likely to occur.

  4. AlmightyJB   7 years ago

    It's a private college so whateva. Let the morons run the place. The market for derp bloggers has to be reaching critical mass. Not sure what else they're going to do with a wasted education.

    1. Kevin47   7 years ago

      Work for a taxpayer funded university.

    2. DJK   7 years ago

      Nearly all private colleges and universities receive significant federal funding....

      1. AlmightyJB   7 years ago

        There are some pell grants. Most federal subsidies come in form of tax deductions for charitable contributions.

        1. Zeb   7 years ago

          There are also a ton of federally subsidized loans.

      2. BYODB   7 years ago

        Which as I understand it is the metric for 'can the FedGov dictate to them'.

        1. MP   7 years ago

          It's also the metric for 'I'm gonna sue 'cause of 1A'

    3. AlmightyJB   7 years ago

      Of course they can always work for the government

    4. BestUsedCarSales   7 years ago

      Libertarians too often say that it shouldn't be against the law, and so they won't say anything at all. Small government belief does not mean we must stay silent to things we disagree with. In fact, one idea of libertarianism is that we take that responsibility on ourselves for the state of the world.

    5. Zeb   7 years ago

      The think is, the morons are going to go out in the world, and some of them will run real things. Saying that the only thing that a degree from whatever college is going to get you is a job derp blogging is a hilarious joke, but it's not really true. Those people are going to shape society. A few of them in significant ways. While it isn't a significant legal issue from a libertarian standpoint, it is something worth worrying about.

      1. vek   7 years ago

        "Those people are going to shape society. A few of them in significant ways. While it isn't a significant legal issue from a libertarian standpoint, it is something worth worrying about."

        But not the ones with Gender Studies degrees, or Art History Majors! Those types are always the most insane, but it's the engineers, business majors, etc that will be running everything. They, in my experience, tend to be the more sane and intelligent ones. They still get far too much leftist indoctrination, but not enough to make them like these people. Why heck, I even heard some college kids from the University of Washington make a gay joke the other day! A GAY JOKE! The horror!

        So they're not all completely brainwashed.

    6. Cynical Asshole   7 years ago

      Not sure what else they're going to do with a wasted education.

      Ever take a close look at your company's HR department?

  5. Michael Ejercito   7 years ago

    and to provide designated safe spaces for each minority group on campus.

    Over six decades ago, the city of Montgomery in Alabama had designated safe spaces for certain minorities on their buses. I wonder why MLK Jr. and company made such a big fuss about it.

  6. Kevin47   7 years ago

    An apples to apples comparison would be ultimate frisbee to basketball, but pretty sure nobody is going to have the stones to make that point.

    1. Ska   7 years ago

      Probably more like ultimate frisbee to intramural football/soccer/softball.

  7. Enjoy Every Sandwich   7 years ago

    "Before I came to school my parents were promised by admin that I would be safe here," said Desi LaPoole '20 in a tweet mentioning Bolton's account. "Now they're asking me if I want to transfer to a safer school after I told them the racist Drake Schwenke is still on campus."

    Heh. Another of the brave new leaders of tomorrow. She's probably a proud member of the "Antifa Resistance".

    1. Zeb   7 years ago

      Maybe they didn't realize that by "safe" the stupid twit meant "guaranteed never to be upset by anything anyone says".

  8. lap83   7 years ago

    Men's Ultimate Frisbee received $15,747.78. "Brothers of Diversity received $984."

    just change the name of the latter to "Bros of Diversity" and they'll be treated the same because no one will be able to tell them apart

  9. BYODB   7 years ago

    I like how this group puts out a laundry list of things they want, none of which make a whole lot of sense, but then they also include a demand that they want one person in particular expelled? What, like as an addendum that reads 'oh and by the way, fuck Johnny. Kick him out of school' as just some sort of aside? Without finishing their 'investigation' or what?

    Bizarre.

    1. Red Tony   7 years ago

      Johnny is a dick. FUCK him.

  10. Gleep Glop   7 years ago

    "We expect the college administration to hold faculty and staff to the same standards as students when it comes to racists, sexist, bigoted, misinformed, and stereotypical comments. These individuals are also members of our campus community and must be held accountable - thus, students should be able to press judicial charges against faculty and staff who violate our community standards."

    What does it mean to press judicial charges? Do they want criminal charges?

    1. LynchPin1477   7 years ago

      Judicial charges for being misinformed?

  11. LynchPin1477   7 years ago

    My wife went to college there.

    1. MatthewSlyfield   7 years ago

      My condolences.

  12. El Oso   7 years ago

    The inmates are in charge of the asylum.. .

    1. Leader Desslok   7 years ago

      At this point even some of the inmates are starting to say "I may be crazy, but these guys are out of their minds."

  13. Rhywun   7 years ago

    Hiring an army of additional diversity bureaucrats while spending more time, money, and effort policing microaggressions and erecting safe spaces may or may not improve race relations on campus.

    I don't think there's any question that this garbage is making it worse.

    1. Zeb   7 years ago

      It is absolutely making it worse in every way. It's totally disgusting. The argument is conceded before anyone even makes any arguments. There is no evidence based reason to believe that any of the diversity programs or anti-bias training or whatever has any positive effect whatsoever. For all anyone knows it has entirely negative effects. But it feels right to certain activists, so that's good enough, I guess.

      1. LynchPin1477   7 years ago

        Evidence-based reasons are colonialist patriarchal construction

        1. vek   7 years ago

          I read an article the other day that was talking about Charles Barkley being a white supremacist... For reals. The reason? The black community needs to focus on education, to stop killing each other, and he has always said that taking responsibility for your own actions is important.

          These are all WHITE things. And there must be other solutions to fixing their economic phlight besides getting educated... BLACK solutions is what they wanted! So because an objectively useful way of going about things is white, they want to find some other way to do it because they want a black solution... Talk about crazy.

      2. BYODB   7 years ago

        You can't usually argue against feelings, which is more or less all that type of person actually has. If reason itself is an alien language to a person this is the type of thing they come up with.

        Post-modern 'thought' in all it's glory.

        1. Zeb   7 years ago

          True, but you can argue against implementing specific kinds of training and other programs when you have absolutely no idea whether they will do good or harm or make no difference at all.

  14. Zeb   7 years ago

    I wonder what would happen if some administrators grew some balls and just said "no, fuck off" when presented with absurd "demands" like this. That should really be the only response to anything that is presented as a set of demands. Tell them to come back when they want to discuss things like reasonable, grown up people and see if an agreement can be reached, but that "demands" of any kind will not be entertained or considered.

    1. Kivlor   7 years ago

      The reason they don't is for fear the national media will make a spectacle of them, and publish their names and pictures with the epithet WHITE SUPREMACIST WOMAN HATING NAZI. Which is basically a guaranteed way to lose your job, be run out of town, find it difficult to even work at a hotdog stand and inevitably have your own family at your throat...

    2. Kivlor   7 years ago

      But, if the national media didn't treat them that way, and their employer didn't and blacklist them, then what would happen is eventually the whiners would go home, shut up, and move on with their lives. Which is what should happen.

    3. LynchPin1477   7 years ago

      I can guess -- there will be mass protests until that administrator is fired. It would require resolve by people throughout the chain of command, up to and including the board of trustees and major donors.

      1. Kivlor   7 years ago

        Resolve among such people is something we should know doesn't exist. Look at that principle in New Orleans who was tarred as a White Nationalist for attending a rally in favor of preserving Confederate monuments. He was suspended the moment the accusation was made, and subsequently fired, despite having a long track record of working with and helping black kids. The school he oversaw was mostly black, and during his tenure he had received awards for getting the assault rates down, trying to bring a community vocational school in, and working to get housing for homeless students.

      2. Zeb   7 years ago

        Well, yeah. That's why I say "if they grew some balls (or ovaries or whatever gives women courage and resolve)". I have to believe that most people aren't insane SJWs or people who assume that insane SJWs are right about things. So I like to think that if even a noticeable minority of professors and students and administrators would just say "no" to things like this, maybe taking some personal risk, things might start to move in a less ridiculous direction.

  15. Fist of Etiquette   7 years ago

    Schwenke, a member of the group "Wooster Right-Wingers," and has been accused of posting anti-Semitic images on social media.

    ...without the word "divest" plastered over them.

    1. Rhywun   7 years ago

      "Anti-Zionist is not the same as Anti-Joo!!"

  16. Cynical Asshole   7 years ago

    They also asked the college to ... provide designated safe spaces for each minority group on campus.

    They need a nice, catchy slogan for this. How about "segregation now, segregation forever?"

    1. Rhywun   7 years ago

      "Arbeit macht frei"?

    2. TrickyVic (old school)   7 years ago

      Funny and sad that they don't realize they are promoting the opposite of inclusion.

      1. Red Tony   7 years ago

        Who says they don't realize that?

    3. Zeb   7 years ago

      So, is there one for white males? I'm pretty sure white males (and males in general in many cases) are a minority on just about every college campus.
      How about for people who are 1/4 Ukrainian, or who don't like the taste of cilantro? I mean, there are all kinds of minorities that these bigoted assholes aren't even considering. English speakers whose names start with "Z". There's a tiny minority who gets very little consideration.

  17. TrickyVic (old school)   7 years ago

    Shouldn't they have a problem with the name "Brothers of Diversity"?

    1. Gaear Grimsrud   7 years ago

      Sounds gender specific to me. This would never fly at Harvard. Oh wait. Are they black dudes? Never mind.

  18. Brandybuck   7 years ago

    College of Wooster. Another place were the graduates are permanently unemployable.

    At this rate just having a college degree will be an immediate strike against prospective employees.

  19. Tony   7 years ago

    Judging by what I see driving past the park in summer, ultimate frisbee is the gayest thing in the universe, so there's your diversity funding.

    1. Zeb   7 years ago

      Huh. I would have thought that dudes butt-fucking each other was gayer than that. Live and learn.

      1. Tony   7 years ago

        I know right.

      2. Gaear Grimsrud   7 years ago

        Butt fucking, frisbee, football. Kind of a toss up on my gaydar screen.

  20. Empress Trudy   7 years ago

    That frisbee is WHITE. Stone the witch!

  21. 357mag22   7 years ago

    this is what happens when students are FED A LIFETIME IN SCHOOL OF COMMUNIST IDIOLOGY.
    TO STUPID TO HAVE AN ORIGINAL THOUGHT IT'S ALL ABOUT EMOTION WITH THEM.

  22. IceTrey   7 years ago

    I doubt the administration will get that the easiest solution is to expel the activists.

  23. SKR   7 years ago

    If they are worried about a couple racists in college, then why did they go to college in shitkicker country, Ohio? They were running blacks out of nearby towns as recently as the 90s.

  24. vek   7 years ago

    Can we just line all of these whiny pussies up and shoot them yet? Jesus Christ! These people are fucking insane, and I don't think there's anything that will ever be done to bring them back... These kind of people ruin the fucking world.

    1. vek   7 years ago

      Damn, I was hoping to give Hihn an aneurysm with this one... I guess he must have been taking the day off 🙁

  25. Eman   7 years ago

    is there such thing as an 18 year old that isn't dumb? I know this isn't exactly science, but I don't think ive ever met one.

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