2007: The Year at Western

The year 2007 was a busy year at Western.

Beginning in January, our WMU Faculty Hall of Shame became the subject of controversy. Physics Department Chairman Paul Pancella wrote an obtuse letter to our group. AJ gave it the response it deserved. The WMU College Democrats wrote an error-riddled letter to the Western Herald attacking the College Republicans. The College Republicans wrote a response correcting their errors, but they refused to apologize for their libel. On their blog, they admitted a huge double standard in how they judge the faculty and the College Republicans. The Herald posted a poll question allowing students to weigh in on the matter. The College Republicans refused to give in to pressure, and the controversy eventually died down.

Also in January, Governor Granholm appointed new trustees for WMU. WMU's Interim President Diether Haenicke made wise decisions that both saved money and improved services. The Living Wage Coalition continued to promote its cause.

The WMU College Republicans were named the best college republican chapter in the nation in 2006 by the College Republican National Committee. This received coverage in WMU News and the Western Herald.

In February, Diether Haenicke dealt with an angry Muslim. AJ dealt with some "hate mail". The WMU College Republicans adopted a resolution calling on President Bush to pardon Ramos and Compean. Liberals avoided debating a post on how liberals avoid debate.

On March 13, the WMU College Republicans hosted a speech by former Attorney General John Ashcroft. He discussed liberty and security before a crowd of about 900 people in Miller Auditorium. The event was promoted in the Herald. It was reported on afterwards in the media. Assorted liberals protested the event.

Also in March, the WSA passed a resolution asking the Sindecuse Health Center advertise the Alternatives Women's Care Center. Diane Rehm was scheduled to speak on campus, but had to camcel due to a bizarre injury caused by government regulations. Communist Nobel Peace Prize Winner Rigoberta Menchu spoke on campus.

The Presidential Search Process neared its conclusion as the Presidential Search Committee named four finalists to be President of Western. This blog profiled John Folkins, John Dunn, and Avijit Ghosh. The Committee selected John Dunn, interim chancellor of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, as Western's next President. The Board of Trustees made it official. Phyllis Schlafly reported two incidents of campus liberalism at Dunn's school. Ghosh was later involved in a scandal involving veterans' scholarships.

Also in April, AJ was fired from the Herald. The dire predictions about the MCRI didn't come true. The Herald attacked critics of bilingual education. It was revealed that the average total compensation of full professors at WMU is $136,800. The Teaching Assistant Union threatened to strike, but ultimately settled. Feminists held their annual Take Back the Night event. The mass murder at Virginia Tech inspired a call to eliminate Western's gun ban. The WMU College Republicans passed a resolution supporting gun rights on campus. WMU increased room and board prices.

Over the summer, we learned of a victory for free speech on campus thanks to President Haenicke. Letters to the Herald debated allowing guns on campus. This blog debated diversity in education. The Herald had another letter about guns. The Board of Trustees rejected a 9% tuition hike. They approved a 6.4% hike and approved "The Western Edge", President Dunn's plan to increase graduation rates.

This blog thanked President Haenicke for his service to Western and chronicled his achievements.

A new school year began in September. The WMU College Republicans constructed a memorial to honor the victims of 9/11. This blog has pictures of the memorial and participants.

Also in September, the WSA affiliated with the radical SAM and USSA. Guns were again debated in the Herald. The Sangren parking lot became a focus of controversy. A Herald columnist offered some odd self-defense advice.

In October, a forum was held on the "Living Wage" proposal. Liberal activist Tim Hurttgam died of cancer. Some stupid criminals were revealed at Western. Students advocated something about Darfur. A Kalamazoo City Commission candidate forum was held on campus. Students took highly ineffective actions against rape.

In November, an Anti-American Mexican Marxist spoke on campus. The Herald had several letters to the editor debating the candidacy of Congressman Ron Paul. Phyllis Schlafly spoke at Kalamazoo College. Western offered a survey on the living wage.

On November 28, the WMU College Republicans hosted a speech by libertarian reporter John Stossel in Shaw Theater. The event was promoted in the Western Herald, WMU News, and Kalamazoo Gazette. Stossel spoke about the value of free market, the harm caused by government regulations, and his personal conversion to libertarianism. The day of the speech, the WMU College Republican office was vandalized with anti-capitalist graffiti.

In December, the Speaker of the Senate of the WSA was convicted of violating the WSA Constitution. The Herald ran a story headlined "Queer Students Say Harassment Has Increased". This story, which appears to be mostly fraudulent, sparked an absurd kerfuffle in the Herald. The Board of Trustees killed the Living Wage proposal.

The Presidential transition was a major story. The WMU College Republicans kept the papers busy. The Living Wage and gun rights were ongoing issues on campus. What will happen next year?

Previous: 2006: The Year at Western

Axis of Queers

Reading the Western Herald's front page Thursday was a surreal experience. The article in Monday's Herald, "Queer students say harassment has increased", has spurred controversy on campus.

The front page features an article about the controversy created by the previous article in the Herald. It seems that not everyone is cool with the q-word. The article quotes several people who were offended, including those who send this letter to the editor that appeared inside the paper. It offers a helpful guide to the proper newspeak, which will probably be out of date by the time you read it.

While some members do value the term "queer," it is still not universally accepted, even within the LBGT community. It is strongly urged that the term be avoided, unless quoting someone who self-identifies that way. In the case of the Nov. 26 article, that is exactly what the Western Herald was doing.

The term "queer" is not the only controversial term surrounding the LBGT community. The term "homosexual" has been adopted by anti-gay extremists to suggest that lesbians and gay men are diseased or psychologically disordered. Please use "lesbian" or "gay man" to describe people attracted to members of the same sex.

Try to avoid labeling an activity, emotion or relationship "gay," "lesbian," or "bisexual," unless you would call the same activity, emotion or relationship "straight." For example, instead of a "homosexual relationship," use "relationship"; instead of "homosexual couple" use "couple."

There is no single lesbian, gay or bisexual lifestyle. Instead of referring to something as a "gay lifestyle," please use lesbian, gay, or bisexual.

If that's not enough, the Herald also contains an editorial about the controversy. They offer this explanation.

This was, indeed, a choice made by the editors of the Herald. It was not a casual decision. The primary drive behind the use of the word was inclusiveness.

Mission accomplished!

But that's not all. Both the Western Student Association and the administration have jumped into action. The President of Outspoken introduced a resolution in the WSA "focusing on education and awareness concerning violence against lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender students".

Under questioning, she admitted that the "20 to 25" incidents of "verbal and physical attacks" include one exactly one alleged physical attack. She further admitted that she has no actual evidence that this alleged attack has anything to do with the victim being any of the above. It still isn't clear what constitutes "verbal assault", but it appears to be simply criticism.

Needless to say, the WSA passed the resolution. Only one courageous senator voted against it.

But that's still not all. Western's administration tripped all over itself rushing to fight this non-existent wave of hate crimes. The Office of Institutional Equity and LBGT Student Services office have rushed to offer their services.

The article helpfully points out that:

According to the Student Code, students have the right to free inquiry, expression and association. Students should be free from discrimination and harassment based on race, sex, sexual orientation, age, color, national origin, religion, disability, marital status or family status.

So it's still OK to discriminate against and harass Republicans.

This article also helps to explain the origins of the original article.

Discussions of harassment at OUTspoken meetings and numerous unreported incidents on and off campus were cause to bring the recent events to the university's attention, seeking action, OUTspoken President Maggie Walters said.

"We know that things are going on because students are mentioning them at OUTspoken meetings," Walters said.

So this whole controversy started because people were whining about perceived slights, somebody decided to contact the Herald, and they wrote a story about it. Ironically, given the controversy and the circulation of the Herald, the biggest perpetrator of "verbal assault" and "harassment" on campus is Outspoken.

In case you lost count, that's five pieces in the Herald on the same subject on the same day. (In other front page news, the WSA debated what a fine is.)

On the off chance that it slipped your mind for a moment, Western Michigan University has over a hundred academic majors and hundreds of faculty members conducting groundbreaking research. Apparently, none of that was as newsworthy as the fifth piece on the 'queer' controversy.

Don't the Western Herald, WSA, Outspoken, and the above-mentioned university offices have anything better to do? Isn't there any real news on campus? These groups are pathetic. To be inclusive, just calls them the axis of queers.

2008: The Year at Western

What happened at Western Michigan University in 2008?

In January, the Herald reported on the plans of the WMU College Republicans for the semester. WMU announced a plan for free tuition for students coming out of foster care. Western terminated a scholarship based on race to comply with the MCRI. The WMU College Republicans and college democrats debated the war in Iraq. This blog answered the debate questions.

In February, recent Western graduate Tim Nendorf announced a bid for state house (he lost in the primary). The Herald had some interesting content. The race for WSA president began to take shape. Western did not cancel class when the roads were coated with ice. More local issues were debated. Everyone felt bad about East Campus. The WSA discussed a tax increase. An important article, The Campus Rape Myth, exposed a feminist lie. Student groups made news on campus.

The WMU College Republicans announced that we would bring Ted Nugent to campus. This announcement sent liberals into a rage. Nugent did a radio interview on WRKR. WMU celebrated America First Day (March 31) with Ted Nugent. The event attracted about 1800 people, and received more news coverage.

Also in March, the issue of concealed carry was debated on campus. The claims of the WSA about its proposed tax increase were exposed as untrue. Jay Richards spoke on campus about capitalism. The WSA election took place. The WSA continued its absurdity. Danielle Harik was elected WSA president, and the tax increase passed with the support of 5% of students.

In April, this blog took a look back at the failures of the college democrats' Neoconservative Awareness Month. The issue of transparency in Western's spending was debated. Concealed Carry was debated again. WMU debuted some new facilities. The feminist nonsense behind Take Back the Night was exposed.

The WMU College Republicans were named a "Five Star RSO" by Western. The WMUGOP also elected new leadership.

Over the summer, leftist professor Don Cooney ran for Congress (he lost in November). The Board of Trustees raised fees. Timothy Greene was named Western's new Provost. An article skewered Western's medieval studies conference. The Board of Trustees raised tuition 9.2%. WMU part-time instructors discussed forming a union.

As a new academic year began, Western's faculty voted to authorize a strike. However, a strike was averted, thanks to an increase in their already large salaries.

Also in September, there was more news around campus. A forum for 61st district state house candidates was held on campus. This blog reported on the forum. The Western Herald celebrated seventy years of existence. The Herald reported on a meeting of the WMUGOP.

In October, the Herald reported on another College Republican meeting. Seven WMU faculty apparently signed a petition to support Bill Ayers. The Herald wrote an article about the Students for Life, who brought Chris Gast to speak about Proposal 2. The WMU police issued a crime alert. The Herald featured terrible writing. The Herald reported on yet another WMUGOP meeting. The Herald endorsed Chuck Ybema for state house. WMU released its annual security report.

In November, the New York Times quoted the chairman of the WMUGOP. UNC Wilmington professor Mike Adams spoke to the Students for Life about abortion and free speech. The WMU College Republicans had several changes in leadership.

In December, former WMU president Diether Haenicke was hospitalized following a heart attack. He was later released.

Previous:
2007: The Year at Western
2006: The Year at Western

Decline of the Herald

The Gazette reports that the Herald is reducing its publication schedule even further.

Western Herald, WMU student newspaper, switches to monthly print cycle, goes web-first

The schedule has been:
1991-2009: Monday-Thursday
2009-spring 2012: Twice a week
Spring 2012-now: Once a week
Now: Once a month

A journalism professor relates:

“When I started, I would arrive to an entire classroom of students with Heralds; every student read the newspaper,” said Junger, who has been a professor in the journalism department since 1996. “Now I have to make them read it. It’s a challenge to keep up with the times."

This is absolutely true.  You used to see students reading the Herald all the time.  Now you never do.

The Herald is trying to ramp up its website.  But getting students to actively seek out a website is a lot harder than getting them to pick up a physical paper right in front of them.

The same thing is happening throughout the newspaper industry.  The Gazette has reduced its size and publishing schedule significantly.

This blog has had a lot of fun attacking the Herald for its poor quality and absurd leftism.  Still, it's sad to see it go.

Herald on Levin

To no one's surprise, the Western Herald endorsed Carl Levin. But some of the comments in their endorsement make it clear that (once again) they don't know what they're talking about.

HERALD EDITORIAL: Levin’s focus on education, ending war and energy earn him Herald’s vote

We feel Levin shares a perspective more in-line with the Western Michigan University community, where Levin is a centrist Democrat and Hoogendyk leans far to the right. More importantly Levin has a proven record of bipartisan cooperation allowing him to implement legislation.

How is Levin 'centrist'? The Herald provides no evidence for this assertion. Levin has a lifetime American Conservative Union rating of 7%.

They also provide no evidence of his 'bipartisan cooperation'.

Both candidates acknowledge the bailout bill does not specifically address access to higher education.

Why would it?

Of course, this is the Herald as usual.

Less of the Herald

The Western Herald is the latest newspaper to reduce publication due to the declining economy.

Western Herald reduces publication schedule

Starting this fall semester the Western Herald will be changing its publication schedule.

The Herald will be cutting its Tuesday and Wednesday issues, switching focus to a 24/7-Web entity, while continuing to produce a Monday and Thursday issue, along with the Weekend Scene.

The purpose of this change is to switch the Herald from a four-day publication to a 24/7-online news source.

Hopefully they will maintain their archives and not trash them in a couple years, as they have in the past.

On Campus

News on campus.

Nugent! Nugent to speak at Miller

Musician Ted Nugent is coming to Western Michigan University on March 31 to give a speech called "God, Guns & Rock 'n' Roll."

Nugent, known for his conservative political views, will be speaking at the invitation of the WMU College Republicans.

"We are excited and honored to host Ted Nugent," said Megan Buwalda, chairman of the College Republicans. "Mr. Nugent is a cultural icon. Gun rights have been a very hot topic on campus recently and we feel that Ted Nugent will contribute positvely to the discourse in our community."

WSA/Herald: WSA vote recommends the Herald not accept ads from other universities
Editorial: WSA resolution to ban the Western Herald from offering ad space deters independence of paper

Who do these people think they are? How dare they try to tell other organizations what to do? Have any of them ever run a business? This is the fatal conceit of government--that politicians and bureaucrats can run people's lives and businesses better than they can. For once, the Herald editorial is right on.

Group lobbies Congress for cheaper birth control prices

They want taxpayers to subsidize their lifestyle.

WSA election: Students should reject proposal to raise SAF
More money isn't right answer to funding problem, some say
Broad support exists for SAF increase

Surprise! People who get the SAF support increasing the SAF!

Stabenow encourages women to participate in politics

Quiet room for prayer, meditation opens Tuesday

The Dar al-Islam advances.

Herald Editorial: If a governor comes to work every day and does a great job, should we care if he has sex with prostitutes after?

The editorialist is almost the only one who thinks that Spitzer did a good job. See John Derbyshire on Spitzer's terrible record.

Western Michigan University offers active military staff in-state tuition rates

Western Herald Seeks Student Subsidies

The Western Herald has been in increasing financial trouble over the past few years.  It has cut back publishing several times, and recently went all online.  Advertising revenue collapsed.  The university has been subsidizing it, but that is scheduled to end this summer.

Western Herald, WIDR-FM launch 'Save Student Media' campaign at Western Michigan University

So where does the Herald (and WIDR, which is also broke) turn for money?  The taxpayers, or in this case fee-payers, the students.  They are pushing a fee on every student on campus.  This would be on top of the Student Assessment Fee (SAF) and Sustainability fee.  The fee will likely pass with very low voter turnout.

Previous:
Decline of the Herald

Seventy Years of the Herald

Seventy years of low-quality journalism and stupid opinions.

Western Herald celebrates 70 years as a student-run newspaper

OK, that's not fair. That's the last five years. The Herald was pretty good when Jason Giliken was the editor.

At least the Herald is independent, so that it is free to voice opinions contrary to the administration.

See this blog's voluminous commentary on the Herald.

Barrett in the Herald

Thursday's Western Herald features an article profiling Tom Barrett's run for County Commission. The article is straightforward and unbiased. You can leave a comment on the Herald site, if you want.

Barrett served two years in the military right out of high school and four years in the Michigan National Guard. He was stationed in South Korea with the military for a year and a half, then he was deployed to Guantanamo Bay from 2003 to 2004 with the National Guard.

"It was an eye-opening experience," Barrett said of his service. "An experience that I am very proud of, but not one that I would like to see again."

The last message of his campaign is to encourage people, mainly students, to get out and vote, he said."

People have died to secure our right to vote," he said. "It's sad to have half, or less than half, vote. It's too great of a right to pass up and not be involved in."

Barrett is up against two other candidates for the position of Fourth District County Commissioner. The election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 7, and the voting for precincts four and five will be held at Arcadia Elementary School.

In the meantime, students can find Barrett all around campus and up and down the nearby neighborhoods in an effort promote his campaign and to encourage students to vote."

I'm working hard to get my name out and to get students involved," he said. "You can sit back and do nothing or you can participate and try to change something for the better."

For more information on Barrett's campaign trail, where or how to vote or any questions regarding the commission, contact Tom Barrett at: tom.barrett@wmich.edu or visit his Web site at: votetombarrett.com.

The day before, the Herald featured an article concerning campus politics. The article is not online; the Herald seems to be rather hit-or-miss in this regard.

They profile the College Republicans. The article is unbiased, but it has two errors. They misspell AJ's name, and misdate Pat Buchanan's speech (it was two years ago, not one).

The College Democrats have withered away to nothing, and are now inactive.

The College Greens have "moved their efforts exclusively into" Students Against Sweatshops, one of several affiliated groups that have existed for awhile. Their main goal is imposing a "living wage" on Western. Does this mean that they think that Western is a sweatshop? They refer specifically to CSM, a janitorial company Western contracts with.

But not to worry:

Because Western doesn't pay these employees directly, organizers say that getting CSM to raise their employees wages would not cost students more.

Do people really think this way? Sadly, they do.

Not to belabor the obvious, but where will the money come from to pay janitors more? Will it fall from the sky? If Western demands that CSM pay its employees more, they will raise the price that they charge to Western. That will cost students more.

The next thing you know, these people will want the government to run a coffee mug business.

The SCHIP Scam

Liberals are hopping mad about President Bush's veto of the changes to the SCHIP program. Or at least that's what they're pretending.

They are crying crocodile tears about the children, the poor children, who won't have health care. But SCHIP already covers poor children. For better or worse, it was created by Republicans. The democrats are trying to expand the program to cover middle class children whose parents make up to $82,000 per year.

Ah, poverty. Trying to scrape by and make ends meet on only $82,000.

Case in point is the Western Herald's Adam Fox, in the typically insipid 'Quotes and Comments' section.

Bush claims he vetoed the bill because it might extend health insurance to some children in middle-class families and not just "poor" children. Holy lordy, lord, lord, I can't even believe I read this; it's just plain angering. Heaven forbid the government provide health care for children who are not "poor." Sen. Kennedy is right on with his statement. I have an idea: let's deny Bush's children health care and see how he likes it. Better yet, let's deny him health care. Approving a bump in children's health insurance spending should have nothing to do with party lines or philosophies - a general sense of morality should prevail. But if there's one thing we've learned over the last seven years, it's that George W. Bush is anything but moral.

So Fox wants President Bush's children to die if they get sick. Remember, liberals are more compassionate than you.

Of course, no one is denying health care to the poor. Where is Fox's compassion for the taxpayer? What has he done to deserve being robbed? Where is Fox's "sense of morality" on that?

Almost exactly two years ago, the WMU College Republicans invited Congressman Tom Tancredo to speak on campus. Fox wrote an article for the Herald severely misrepresenting the speech and the Herald ran an editorial smearing Tancredo. The editorial attacked Tancredo's vote against a bill purporting to provide relief to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

But as Tancredo explained, the money would be misused and wouldn't go to the people who needed it. The Herald didn't see fit to print Tancredo's explanation. Time proved him right, as much of the money disappeared, was wasted, or was blown by its recipients. But the goal of liberals and congressmen was to act self-righteous and "compassionate", not actually help people.

The SCHIP program would displace children from private health care and charity to inferior government health care. It would hurt many children, not to mention the taxpayers. It is also a giveaway to big business.

But Adam Fox is feeling self-righteous, and that's what counts.

Hall of Shame in Review

The big political controversy in the Spring 2007 semester at WMU was the Western Michigan University Faculty Hall of Shame.

This document was compiled by the WMU College Republicans to document the misuse of power for political purposes of faculty members at WMU. It had been on the group's website for some time when someone who read it decided to turn it into a big controversy.

The WMU College Democrats launched a campaign to cover up the abuses committed by some faculty members. They wrote an article for the Western Herald attacking the College Republicans and the Hall of Shame, demanding that it be taken down. They never bothered to contact the College Republicans before publishing their article. Their article was full of errors and misrepresentations. Ironically, the College Democrats did far more to promote the Hall of Shame than the College Republicans ever did, and they have posted it to their website.

The WMU College Republicans issued a response that also appeared in the Herald. The College Democrats never issued a retraction or apology for their article.

The issue continued with an article in the Herald and an absurd editorial in the Herald wildly misrepresenting the Hall of Shame. They posted a poll question allowing students to weigh in on the matter. There were threats to suppress the free speech of the College Republicans through legal action or university policy, but ultimately cooler heads prevailed and no such action was taken.

On their blog, the College Democrats made some very revealing admissions about their efforts.

The President of the College Democrats admitted that he did not know whether the allegations in the Hall of Shame are true:

Did the instructors of these classes misuse their power? We dont know. We’d certainly LIKE to know.

That didn't stop the Democrats from accusing us of "slander" and more. Their President established an interesting standard of proof:

If you can concretely show me that the claims you make in your hall are true, with indisputable documented evidence that teachers were unfair to apposing views, I would be very interested.

So the Democrats demanded "indisputable documented evidence" before faculty can be criticized, but they accuse the College Republicans of slander, etc. while admitting that they don't even know whether this is true! Talk about double standards!

The Democrats' article implied that the Hall of Shame was inaccurate without ever explicitly making that accusation. The author of the Democrats' article made this admission:

Others became obsessed with checking the accuracy of every detail of the Hall, and that missed the larger point. The original point that the College Democrats column made was that people are sick of petty name calling in politics, and that they want a real discussion of the issues.

The Hall of Shame doesn't contain any "name-calling", it contains factual assertions. The author admits that he wants the facts covered up even if they are true. The real purpose of the article was to protect liberal wrongdoing, not promote civility.

Thankfully, they failed.

WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY FACULTY HALL OF SHAME

WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY FACULTY HALL OF SHAME

The Western Michigan University Faculty Hall of Shame is intended to inform WMU students and other interested persons of the misdeeds of faculty members at WMU. The criterion for membership is misuse of power over students for political purposes. This can include criminal acts, assaulting or harassing students, grading students based on political positions or activities, stifling dissenting viewpoints in class, or using class time or assignments for propagandizing for political positions rather than teaching the proper subjects of their courses. Being liberal is neither necessary nor sufficient for membership. Documentation or eyewitness testimony are required for induction.

Dr. Sushi Datta-Sandu
Political Science
Dr. Datta-Sandhu uses her classes for the purpose of propagandizing her students. In Introduction to Political Science, PSCI 105, she has promoted liberalism, abortion, gun control, feminism, and Islam. She forced her students to read a 600-page novel about abortion which argues against parental consent laws. She hosted a forum on Islam in which the only views allowed were pro-Islam. She forced her students to read obscure feminist writings (remember, this was in an introductory class). She promoted the feminist view of women as victims of a patriarchy, but she rejected out of hand the notion that women should be allowed to carry guns to defend themselves. She showed graphic films on the abuses of apartheid, but she never mentioned the much worse atrocities of communist governments. She is intolerant of conservative opinions in her classes.

Dr. Norman Hawker
Business
In 2002, Dr. Hawker offered extra credit to his class for volunteering on a political campaign. However, he only gave contact information to one political campaign, that of Democrat Ed LaForge, who was vying with Republican Tom George for a state senate seat. As one student put it: “This was not an accidental, innocent mistake made by Hawker… Rather, there is evidence that he had clear intentions in mind; intentions that would benefit both the Ed LaForge campaign and Kalamazoo Democrats alike. Hawker not only contributed a generous sum of money to the LaForge campaign, but also made numerous contributions to Democrats across the state (www.michigan.gov). Even more obvious are his ties to the LaForge campaign, for which [his] wife is treasurer.” (source: Western Herald, October 15, 2002) The clear purpose of such actions was to use his position of power over students to advance a political cause he supported.

Dr. Lawrence Potter
Black Americana Studies
Dr. Potter, the director of Black Americana Studies, is also extremely intolerant of conservative beliefs. The WMU NAACP approached the College Republicans to have a debate about affirmative action. Although presented as balanced, the debate was very one-sided, with both the panels and the audience stacked for the other side. Dr. Potter served as the “mediator,” saying things such as "Well, YOUR President says this...." and "Don't you think that's a little hypocritical..." (source: Western Herald, April 9 2003) Girls from his class threatened one of the debate participants for two years afterward, saying "Dr. Potter taught us to go against girls like you....rich white girls!" After that student sent him a polite email about the situation, he accused her of harassment. He filed a complaint with the Student Judicial Council and tried to get her expelled from Western. His complaint was dismissed, and she was found not responsible. To this day, he is spiteful towards her. He is anti-white, opposes personal responsibility, and promotes hate.

In 2004, Dr. Potter was arrested early in the morning in Bronson Park for accosting and soliciting a prostitute. He eventually pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct. (source: Western Herald, January 6, 2005)

Dr. Edith Fisher
Women’s Studies
Dr. Fisher was extremely upset at the fact that Pat Buchanan, an advocate of immigration reform, came to speak at Western on Cesar Chavez Day, the birthday of the late union organizer. She took offense at flyers advertising this event and pointing out this coincidence. She tore down a number of these flyers, claiming that they were illegally posted, despite the fact that dozens of other groups had posted flyers in the same locations, including the Political Science department. She tore down a poster of Buchanan costing $30, crumpled it, and went to her women’s studies class. She then impaled it on a Mexican flag, “symbolically forcing it through Buchanan’s face.” A student got word of this, and several College Republicans went to investigate. They found her waving flyers and screaming. Not realizing that a class was in session, a student went to retrieve the poster. He was assaulted (shoved) by Dr. Fisher. Or, in her version of the story, “I was scared. It felt like my classroom was under siege.” She later filed a compliant against the student. (source: Western Herald, May 23, 2005)

Dr. Allen Carey-Webb
English
In 1983, a Guatemalan woman named Rigoberta Menchu published I, Rigoberta Menchu, a book which purported to be an autobiography of her life. She describes many brutal atrocities committed by the military government in its long war against the FMLN communist guerrillas. The book became a sensation on the left, was assigned reading at thousands of colleges, and in 1992 Menchu won the Nobel Peace Prize. However, her book was later exposed as a fraud. She made up many specific charges, including the torture of one brother and the death of another who is still alive. (source: Intellectual Morons by Dan Flynn) What is most shocking is what happened next. Many professors continued to teach the book as if nothing had changed. That includes Allen Carey-Webb: “We have a higher standard of truth for poor people like Rigoberta Menchu… If we find a flaw in her, it doesn’t mean her whole argument goes down the drain.” He continued to teach her book, but he did allow criticism from another source. (source: Chronicle of Higher Education, January 15, 1999)

Dr. Richard MacDonald
Sociology
Dr. MacDonald consistently dismisses any kind of conservative thought, and routinely attacks conservative thinking in his classroom. He also prefers to interpret conservatism in ways that work well with his political agenda and ideology, no matter how incorrect they are. When speaking of the Heritage Foundation, Dr. MacDonald said “when you read some report they have, you should ask yourself ‘what are they going to spin today?’” When speaking of constitutional constructionism, he claimed that what constructionism means for conservatives is that we wish to return to the days when women and African-Americans had no rights, especially when it comes to voting rights. Of course, this is not true. He also claims that ALL poverty in this country is caused by government policies meant to marginalize the poor. Once again, here is an instructor who fails to take into account personal responsibility.

Carrying on Debate

On Monday, the Herald published two articles and an editorial on the subject of carrying concealed weapons on campus. The articles published opinions of several police officers, professors, students, and the Herald editorial writers. Two students had good pro-gun comments. The police, professors, and (of course) the Herald were against it.

Officials question concealed carry
Students remain at odds on concealed weapons
Concealed carry: School shootings would not be prevented by allowing concealed weapons on campus

One of the more striking features of the gun debate is that the anti-gun side makes assertions based on no reason or evidence. Let's take a look at some quotes from the Herald.

"It doesn't matter whose hands they're in, fewer guns is less of a chance for gun violence on campus," said Lt. Brian Crandall of the WMU Department of Public Safety. Crandall said on WMU's campus, guns should only be carried by trained professionals such as campus police. He said he agrees with the campus policy of "no guns on campus."

When is Lt. Crandall going to give up his gun? After all, fewer guns means less violence! That includes the police, too. It doesn't matter whose hands they're in! Or does Crandall want more violence on campus? Or don't more guns automatically mean more violence?

Deputy Chief Blaine Kalafut of the WMU DPS is slightly more skeptical of the idea. He said not every professor would want to carry a gun and if they did, they would have to be properly trained. Therefore, it might not solve the problem because there is a chance of a suspect figuring out which professors carry guns and which ones do not and acting accordingly, Kalafut said.

How likely is that? The suspect would have to investigate all the professors in a building, and somehow figure out if they were carrying. Act accordingly might mean not shooting people, and at least the professors who carried could save their own lives.

"The proper defensive use of a gun in a classroom setting by a professor would be highly unlikely," Kramer said. Kramer said only law enforcement officials should be allowed to carry guns on campus.

Says who? Two million or so crimes are disrupted every year by citizens with guns. Why can't professors do the same? Are college professors supposed to be smarter than average people?

"It could help depending on the situation but every situation is so case specific that it may do more harm than good," Crawford said. Crawford said he believes professors carrying guns on campus could help in some situations.

How did this guy get hired by the Sociology Department?

"I can't even imagine how it would poison the classroom," Swanson said. "I'm very against it and it could be very dangerous."

This is pure emotion. No reason in sight.

"Guns have no place in our modern society and the fact that people feel the need to own guns says that there are some major problems in our society," Jon Snoek, administrator of "Students Against Guns," said in a Facebook message. "If there was no trigger to pull, the bullet they fired might never have killed that person."

The purpose of guns is to protect citizens against violent crimes. Modern society depends on freedom and private property rights. There was plenty of crime before guns were invented.

"We should require mandatory gun training, safety, and education courses which must be passed in order for someone to purchase a gun," Snoek said. "In addition to that, I feel there should be mandatory psychological evaluations to ensure that the person wanting to buy a gun is a stable individual and at the time of the evaluation isn't a high risk to go on a murderous rampage."

Training and education aren't going to stop crime. As much as we would like to think that we can use screening to identify future criminals, we can't. Giving government the power to decide who may buy a gun would take away freedom and cost innocent lives.

"Most people who have permits to carry concealed weapons have limited training and undergo less testing than even a novice police recruit," reads the campaign Web site. "Yet they are led to believe that, given a dangerous situation, they will use deadly force with the same care and consideration that police officers will."

Concealed carry is not the same as police work. Police chase and arrest criminals, citizens defend their lives.

"The National Rifle Association at every opportunity uses the fear of crime to promote the need for ordinary citizens to secretly pack a gun. The NRA is working to create a world where people carry guns into schools, bars, parks, courts, churches, and just about anywhere else they like," reads the Web site.

It's called freedom. The Brady Bunch is using fear of crime to take away our freedom. Is there any number of times that they are wrong after which the media will stop treating them as a legitimate organization? Every time concealed carry is debated, they warn of blood in the streets. It never happens.

There are always concerns about safety immediately following tragedies like this. Allowing students, professors or both to have guns on campus is not the solution, though. For every one incident that might be prevented by concealed carry on campus, there would be many more incidents that would be caused by the same allowance. Concealed carry on campus would only give those carrying weapons the opportunities to overreact. Not only that, but if professors had guns on campus, students would obviously be aware of this. This might intimidate a lot of students, and unfortunately the risk of a student stealing a professor's gun does exist.

Where's the evidence? Such fears have been shown to be illusory again and again.

Unfortunately, in the world we live in, shootings can happen anywhere. A college campus is just one more place that large amount of people congregate that can sometimes be the sites of massacres, just like the Omaha mall that was the site of a shooting last year. No amount of security can be guaranteed to prevent shootings like this - killers will always be able to find opportunities to kill. Not everyone can be protected from it. All that we can do is remember that while they are tragic and memorable, these events are still unlikely. While there are steps that can be taken to improve safety, allowing fearful people to carry guns on campus is not one such step. Concealed carry would only give the opportunity for additional tragedy as opposed to prevented tragedy.

Guess what that mall had in common with most universities? It prohibited concealed carry too!

The alleged need for training is a common argument. But there is no evidence that more training actually helps. Economist John Lott, who has studied concealed carry extensively, found no benefit to training requirements. Certainly, all else being equal, more training is better. But it also costs money, so requiring it can prevent some people from carrying and make everyone less safe.

Using a gun isn't that complicated. It's certainly much simpler than driving a car. Most times that a gun is used to prevent a crime, it isn't fired. Training is nice, but not having it isn't a reason to not let people protect their lives.

Concealed carry isn't some new, untested idea. Thirty-nine states have a right to carry, and nine more allow concealed carry with more restrictions. Universities in Utah and others scattered across the county allow concealed carry. We know the results. Concealed carry reduces crime and liberal fears are baseless.

On Thursday, the Herald published letters to the editor from Steve Sessions, Caleb Lohman, and Jeff Koenig supporting gun rights.

Bad Writing

Two recent editorials in the Herald are practically case studies in bad writing.

HERALD EDITORIAL: Groups at WMU should be pairing up and working together, not apart

HERALD EDITORIAL: Religious groups free to give political insight, but should not endorse any one candidate

The opinions are pretty silly, too.

Michigan Politics

Political News from Kalamazoo and Michigan.

Elections:

Gazette: Rogers running again for House
Gazette: Two more seek Kalamazoo Co. sheriff's job
Gazette: Haenicke's son-in-law seeks county board seat
Gazette: Former MSU Extension chief seeks county seat
Gazette: Comstock resident plans to run for township supervisor
Herald: WMU junior runs for county commission
Saul: University Board Candidates

Other Politics:

NRA: Michigan: Registration Reform Assigned to Senate Committee!
Saul: Homeschooling parents say bill would strip their rights
Herald: Political groups aim to focus on elections next year
Herald: College GOP selects 2008-09 e-board
Gazette: Interim official chosen as drain commissioner

Herald-Palladium Endorses Upton

The Herald-Palladium, the St. Joseph newspaper which knows who butters its bread, has endorsed Congressman Upton. Let's break it down.

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Upton a better fit than Hoogendyk for 6th District

That Congressman Fred Upton rubs diehard conservatives the wrong way isn't new. Long before the Tea Party movement gained strength, far right partisans in Southwest Michigan longed for someone like Jack Hoogendyk, Upton's Republican primary opponent in August, to displace Upton.

Should that happen, our question to Hoogendyk supporters is, then what? Perhaps the very conservative resident of Kalamazoo would win in November, but he is not well-positioned to retain the seat in the future.

Upton, of St. Joseph, with his occasional moderate tendencies, is far better suited to hold off Democratic challengers in a district that voted for President Obama in 2008 and twice supported Bill Clinton in the 1990s.

We view it as a plus that Upton does not adhere to the ideological purity standards that hard right conservatives insist upon. Two recent examples come to mind: the auto industry bailout and the TARP financial bailout.

Hoogendyk, with his strong libertarian tendencies, opposed both measures on grounds that government should not intrude to such an extent into private business affairs. That's fine in a world in which harsh consequences don't matter. Our world view is more in line with Upton's, who well understood that all of Michigan, including the 6th District, would have suffered tremendously had GM and Chrysler gone under. The financial bailout vote offers a similar example. In our mind Upton's support signaled a willingness to accept facts on the ground and vote accordingly. Had giant U.S. banks been allowed to fail in 2008, the economic devastation that followed would have rivaled or exceeded the Great Depression.

That's what the big banks claimed when they wanted a bailout. There is no evidence to support this, and the HP provides none. The TARP bailout created a giant slush fund run by the executive branch without congressional input. It was promoted to bail out the mortgage market but funnelled to the big banks by former Goldman Sachs employees. And even if we assume that the banks had to be bailed out, what was the justification for bailing out the managements, so that they kept their jobs after running their companies into bankruptcy?

Hoogendyk, a former three-term state House member, may pass a Tea Party purity test, but too often he doesn't pass the common sense test. That said, by challenging Upton, Hoogendyk has forced the congressman to defend himself and his votes to his Republican base. There is value in this process.

Upton, it should be noted, is no 51 percent Republican. [According to the American Conservative Union, he's a 72% conservative.] He remains committed to fiscal conservatism and has generally fought against President Obama's liberal agenda. Upton also has consistently performed exemplary constituent services, something that should not be overlooked by voters.

There is no sense in which Upton is a fiscal conservative. He has voted for almost every budget-busting appropriations bill for decades. He supported the Medicare Part D prescription drug program, which added 17 trillion to the off-books present value national debt. You can argue that the bailout was necessary, but you cannot argue that it was fiscally conservative. Is was not.

While this blog doesn't question that Upton is good at constituent service, it is primarily necessary because of the very government bureaucracies that Upton has repeatedly voted to fund and expand. Then, when they mistreat taxpayers, congressmen can heroically intervene. As Bastiat said, they are "concocting the antidote and the poison in the same laboratory"

We urge 6th District Republican primary voters to send Upton into the fall election to vie for a 13th term. In this contest of pragmatism vs. purity, Upton is clearly the best choice.

(An opinion of The Herald-Palladium editorial board)

At least the HP brings up issues that Upton has studiously avoided.

CRs in the Herald

From the Herald:

College Republicans remain active as they prepare for ‘crunch time’
By Ashley WioskowskiNews Editor

(Michael Paeplow / Western Herald) Junior Brendan Cole, vice president of Students for Life, spoke to Western Michigan University’s College Republicans on Wednesday night in the Bernhard Center.

The College Republicans met on Oct. 22 to discuss their last plans to help promote candidates before Election Day.

Last weekend the Republicans went door-to-door in Vicksburg to promote Republican candidates, and this week the group will continue in Vicksburg.

Anyone who is interested can meet the Republicans at the Bernhard Center at 3 p.m. for carpooling.

Addressing the limited time before the election, Dan Mack, treasurer for the RSO, stressed how important it is to go door-to-door promoting the candidates.

“It’s crunch time,” Mack said.

David Bell, elections vice chairman, addressed the group about last week’s absence of Jack Hoogendyk, who is running for U.S. Senate against Sen. Carl Levin, due to a time conflict in scheduling.

Bell said that Hoogendyk plans to re-schedule sometime in the future.

Bell also brought up that the RSO finally has got the funding to bring Ben Stein, who is most popular for his quiz show, “Win Ben Stein’s money,” or his part in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”
Beyond comedic entertainment, Stein has political affiliation.

Stein has worked as an economist, poverty and trial lawyer.

Also, in 1973 and 1974, he became a speechwriter and lawyer for Richard Nixon and then Gerald Ford.The date is yet to be planned, but Bell said he foresees it taking place in the spring.

The Republicans plan to go door-to-door Nov. 1 for Larry DeShazor who is running for State Representative in the 61st district.

On Nov. 3, the Republicans will be putting up yard signs.

Kelly MacDonell, chief of operations, added that these signs will be put up “everywhere we can.”On Nov. 5, the group will be going to Roadhouse for a celebratory dinner.

College Republicans member Brendan Cole, who is the vice president for Students for Life, announced speaker Chris Gast, a political activist, will be at 2304 Sangren Hall on Oct. 23 at 8 p.m. to address Proposal 2: Embryonic Stem Cell Research.

2009: The Year at Western

What happened at Western Michigan University in 2009?

In January, the Gazette profiled a perpetual student at Western. In February, a lawyer gave students at the WSA advice on dealing with the police. The WSA presidential election heated up, while President Dunn discussed creating a medical school and Ken Miller was appointed to another term as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Former Western President Diether Haenicke wrote a column discussing Bill Ayers' influence in higher education. Attorney General Mike Cox spoke at Kalamazoo College. This blog posted an article on the value of college. A leftist named Willie wrote a smug letter to the Herald.

On February 15, 2009 former President of Western Michigan University Diether Haenicke died. WMU News posted a good summary of his career. This blog posted two roundups of articles on Haenicke. This blog posted a tribute to Doctor Haeknicke, a friend of the WMU College Republicans , discussing some of the wise decisions he made over the years. The video of the Haenicke memorial service is available.

In March, two self-described former terrorists spoke at Western. The media reported on the event. Some students campaigned to ban the 'R' word (retarded). Ed Rivet spoke to Students for Life on America First Day.

In April, a free-market economist spoke at Western. SSE hosted a libertarian-leaning speaker at Western. Feminists spread more lies at their Take back the Night event. A Western professor was Rethinking Marxism.

The WSA had a contested Presidential election, which made it look even more ridiculous than usual. The election was stolen, whether by malice or incompetence. The results were later overturned. The result hinged on a misunderstanding of the definition of the word 'majority'.

Over the summer, this blog posted a number of articles questioning the structure of college. Room and board rates increased. Western spent money building columns. The Herald announced that it was cutting its publishing to twice a week. The police caught a stupid criminal at Western. Michigan State University allowed concealed weapons on campus. Western's part-time instructors voted to unionize. The Board of Trustees hiked tuition by 5.7% and voted to expand the business park into the Colony Farm Orchard. The Gazette profiled a WMU student who escaped Muslims in Sudan. The electronic door locks malfunctioned. Western's sculptures were 'recognized'. The Colony Farm plan advanced in the legislature. The EcoMug program was revived.

Local elites, including Ken Miller, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, began discussing plans to build a new arena in downtown Kalamazoo , and possibly move WMU Basketball and Hockey games there. The Gazette published several articles casting further doubt on the viability of the arena proposal. Still more information on the arena plan surfaced.

As the new academic year began, Western thought about security. Western remembered 9/11. Enrollment declined. President Dunn discussed creating a medical school at Western. Western ramped up measures to deal with swine flu. Peter Wielhouwer spoke on Christianity and politics. Rebecca Kiesling spoke to Students for Life about being conceived by rape.

In November, Governor Granholm visited Western to promote raising taxes. Western opened a center funded by communist China. The Arcus Foundation funded a center at Kalamazoo College. KVCC moved to create a police force. A Herald editorial raised questions about the Confucius Center. Former WSA President Chris Praedel announced he was running for state house.

Previous:
2008: The Year at Western
2007: The Year at Western
2006: The Year at Western

Around Campus

1. Avijit Ghosh, who was a finalist to become President of Western, has been implicated in a scandal involving a veterans scholarship. Guess who reported this five months ago?

2. Derek Jackson: what a fool.

3. Controversy continues over the proposal to allow CCW permit holders to carry guns in schools. Liberals have reacted with pure emotion, both in the Herald and the Gazette. But at least one student understands the issue.

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Columns make a mockery of gun laws

The Western Herald, showcasing that it is a fair and unbiased newspaper, has published two articles in two days mocking a bill introduced in the Michigan House that would allow school employees to have concealed weapons on school grounds. The columnists called it "arming teachers" and jokingly asked, "Why stop at giving teachers guns? Why not tanks?

"Demagoguery and absurd exaggerations aside, it's important to point out that no one is "arming" teachers or giving them guns. The Second Amendment quite explicitly gives people the right to arm themselves, and yet the government has seen fit to designate schools as "gun-free zones." This bill would simply allow people who work at schools and have concealed carry permits to carry their firearms with them to work. Making schools "gun-free zones" seemed to have little impact on the Columbine and Virginia Tech killers. Although it apparently boggles the liberal mind, people who plan on killing dozens of classmates in cold blood seem to have little concern for gun laws.

In fact, the only way making schools "gun-free zones" impacted the Columbine and Virginia Tech killers was by allowing them to kill and injure 92 people without having to worry that someone might be able to defend themselves. It's recently come to light that while Virginia Tech students were being summarily executed by a lone killer (a killer who somehow managed to get a couple of guns onto a "gun-free" campus), there were a handful of responsible, law abiding students who had concealed carry permits and owned firearms, but were forced to leave them in their cars due to gun laws. The Virginia Tech killer could have been stopped earlier in his rampage, lives could have been saved, but God forbid someone have a gun on campus!

This bill could turn the tables in horrible situations like Columbine or the Virginia Tech massacre by allowing people who have jumped through the government hoops to obtain a concealed carry permit to actually carry their firearms when they go to work. One of the Western Herald columns asked readers to imagine "30 students behind a sketchy madman with your sixth grade math teacher holding a gun." In reality, this bill could very well place a responsible, armed teacher in between 30 students and a madman with a gun.

Shane Carey
WMU sophomore