Heartless Emory alumni weigh in on pain experienced by students (Atlanta: school, universities)

[arjay57]

This is just plain cruel.

After Emory students had their safe space violated by pro-Trump chalk marks on the sidewalk, a group of alumni posted an open letter claiming that the Trump supporters were simply exercising their right of "free speech."

How Emory has changed. Once a world-renowned university that attracted scholars from across the globe, a university that encouraged diverse intellectual pursuits, Emory has apparently become a day-care where children must be shielded from “bad thoughts” lest their feelings be harmed. And the administration has officially endorsed this shift.

We are writing not to highlight the absurdity of those who believe they are physically harmed by encountering political speech with which they disagree, as this is, or should be, clear to any observer. Instead, we are writing to express our disappointment with the recent actions of the Emory administration. For the first time, we are embarrassed to call ourselves Emory graduates.

As The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Washington Post and other media outlets recently reported, a small contingent of vocal Emory students claimed to have been harmed on campus and stormed the office of the president of the university in protest. The locus of this alleged harm?

Chalked political slogans featuring the name of a leading presidential candidate. What should have become an opportune teaching moment to instruct students in the value of free speech and healthy debate, once radical ideas that serve as the foundation of American society, morphed into something else entirely.

President Wagner, and by virtue of his position, Emory itself, officially endorsed the opposite: the rights of all to freely express their political views must give way in the event some believe their feelings are harmed by such speech. Indeed, as President Wagner stated in a recent campus-wide email in response to the student-led protest, it is now Emory’s policy to recognize the “calls to provide a safe environment.” Freely expressing a constitutionally protected right, in Wagner’s view, creates an unsafe environment. Let the implications sink in.

No longer does Emory University serve as a beacon of intellectual diversity attracting some of the best and brightest young adults from across the world, much as it attracted us. Instead, Emory has become just another school in the well-documented pattern of universities that have surrendered to the demands of a vocal few that emotional comfort, ideological conformity and yes, “safe environments” trump fundamental notions of free speech. Critical thinking and exposure to other opinions are unwanted. But this does not have to be how the story ends. It is vitally important that we respond to this trend by reaffirming our foundational notions of freedom.

Unfortunately, President Wagner and Emory University have thus far failed to rise to the challenge.

We call for President Wagner and the full administrative body of Emory University to publicly acknowledge the intrinsic value of free speech and the right of all to engage in spirited political debate. By letting a small cadre of overly sensitive students affect a heckler’s veto on a universal right, President Wagner and Emory University have contributed to the erosion of fundamental freedom in this country. It is incumbent on all to fight to protect free speech, especially speech that might be unpopular or viewed by some as “dangerous.” And fight we will.

More....Fallout over chalked pro Trump slogans at Emory continues. Alums enter fray. | Get Schooled

[Cameron H]

Kids being silly and foolish is nothing new, though perhaps this version is more irritating than most flavors. What irks me is the administration bending over for them.

[MattCW]

Good for the alumni. What are they going to do when they drive down a road and see a "hurtful" billboard? Whine and demand it be taken down? Or if a "painful" ad comes over the radio, demand the station be shut down? I would have just loved to skywrite "TRUMP 2016" over the campus and see what would happen then. Or maybe even get one of those advertising vehicles with Trump ads on it and drive it on the public non-Emory-owned roads on campus like Clifton.

[fourthwarden]

I feel bad for the other Emory students who don't care about any of this. There are nearly 15,000 students enrolled at Emory, what percentage actively cared and protested? I'm willing to be it's minuscule, but has given the campus a stain of immaturity, when the reality is that the student body is no more over-emotional than any cross-section of the country.

[ByebyeOhio]

Originally Posted by fourthwarden

I feel bad for the other Emory students who don't care about any of this. There are nearly 15,000 students enrolled at Emory, what percentage actively cared and protested? I'm willing to be it's minuscule, but has given the campus a stain of immaturity, when the reality is that the student body is no more over-emotional than any cross-section of the country.

That's pretty typical, a few idiots ruin it for entire communities, races, groups, etc..

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by ByebyeOhio

That's pretty typical, a few idiots ruin it for entire communities, races, groups, etc..

Yeaup.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by arjay57

This is just plain cruel.

After Emory students had their safe space violated by pro-Trump chalk marks on the sidewalk, a group of alumni posted an open letter claiming that the Trump supporters were simply exercising their right of "free speech."

Seriously, I thought this was a troll post at first, but I see you are sincere.

Those students made Emory an international laughingstock.

They (moreso the president's response to them) have temporarily de-valued the Emory degree. Employers won't look at Emory grads quite the same while this is fresh in the memory.

Its a major presidential candidate. If those students can't handle that some people will support him, they really do need to get out of their bubble and get some real diversity.

[MAGAboysclub]

i don't know how any Emory students have time on their hands to protest the TRUMP chalking when their noses should be buried in books? do you think they are $hillary bots or Free Handout Bernie boys? do they actually know anything about Trump's health care reform, national tax reform or safety concerns? do they know they probably like Trump but are probably in denial from what the liberal media is force feeding them?

[Cameron H]

Originally Posted by bu2

Seriously, I thought this was a troll post at first, but I see you are sincere.

I think arjay has your number.

[arjay57]

These students came up here in good faith and paid good money for their education. Now they are being subjected to political positions that they totally disagree with.

If somebody pops off with something I find offensive, I guess I am supposed to simply say, "Okay, so that's your opinion." What about MY right to not be subjected to annoying ideas that I find totally repugnant?