Catholic university punishes pro choice student for exercising free speech
By Tom Quiner
In a shocking abrogation of the First Amendment, Depaul University is sanctioning a student who posted sensitive information on a pro choice website.
The student was chairman of a campus organization called “Young Students for Choice.” Last year, they lobbied the administration, and were granted permission, to erect a display which paid tribute to the Roe v. Wade decision which made abortion legal.
Shortly after the display was erected, it was vandalized. Portions of the display were found stuffed into a campus dumpster. Outraged pro choice students demanded justice. The university subsequently investigated and tracked down the students, thirteen of them in all, who admitted to the vandalism.
The university then released the names to the pro choice organization, who immediately posted the vandals’ names on their website.
As you might imagine, the vandals received some negative comments once their actions were publicly exposed. The administration responded quickly and decisively. They sanctioned the pro choice student who exposed the vandals.
The student was found guilty of two counts of violating the Code of Student Responsibility, including:
√ “Disorderly, Violent, Intimidating or Dangerous Behavior to Self or Others”
√ “Judicial Process Compliance.”
The Dean from the university was clear about the seriousness of the infraction:
“It is unfortunate that this incident is part of your educational career. Any further infractions of the Code of Student Responsibility during your probationary period may result in additional disciplinary action including removal from the university.”
Pro choice advocates were outraged, claiming the university was punishing the victim of the crime, rather than the vandals. Free speech advocates complained about the violation of the victim’s free speech rights.
CBS, ABC, NBC, MSNBC, and CNN all featured the story in their nightly newscasts which included interviews with Planned Parenthood, NARAL and other supportive pro choice groups.
Okay … I’m fooling.
The story above didn’t quite happen the way I wrote it.
It was the other way around. The real victim was a conservative, named Kristopher Del Campo. He’s chairman of Young Americans for Freedom.
They are a pro life group who put up a pro life display.
Anti-life students tore down the display. Mr. Del Campo published the vandals names, and he is the one who received the sanction, not the vandals.
I pose some questions:
1. Why is a Catholic university like DePaul coming down so hard on a pro life student who simply published the names of vandals?
2. Will the mainstream media cover this story, other than Fox News, who did cover it on their website?
3. Would the MSM give it bigger coverage if the story were the “fake” one presented at the beginning of this post?
Just asking.
Wow I believed you ha ha ha. Funny how my sympathies changed when you gave the correct story. I admit to my own bias in favor of pro-life people. But I’m not a journalist so I’m allowed to be biased yes.
Thanks so much for your comments. Journalists can have opinions as long as they keep them out of new reporting. I see bias more in what the MSM chooses not to report. Come again.
We all have a certain amount of bias. It’s human nature. Being able to recognize it and see beyond it makes for a more compassionate person, in my view.
When someone is convicted of sin, they will do anything in their power to hide it or get it out of their sight. The pro-life display was torn down because it convicted the pro-choice people of sin.
One time I was hitchhiking in Idaho and this truck driver picked me up. I told him that I was a Christian and that I prayed a lot. He kicked me out of the truck.
One time I was hitchhiking and this guy picked me up. I told him that the Bible was inspired by the Holy Ghost, so he kicked me out of the car.
I met some people who have protested outside an abortion clinic in Jackson, Wyoming. They received more hate speech in Jackson than in any other place in the nation. Maybe there is a lot of unrepented sin in Jackson.
I pray in front of Planned Parenthood a few times a year. A lot of folks honk or give us a thumbs up, which is gratifying. Occasionally, someone thrusts their hand out their window and extends his middle finger, which I take as meaning, “you’re #1!” It’s all good! Thanks for writing.
I once picked up a hitchhiker that almost immediately started preaching to me about how I was going to go to Hell. I had said nothing about my beliefs. I pulled over at the next gas station and asked him to find another ride. Normally, I would have been happy to debate the issue, but he seemed a bit imbalanced and that was the last time I picked up hitchhikers.
Saw this one coming a ways off, Tom, but I already knew the story.
Very effective way of illustrating it, though, ….
It’s amazing that these stories almost always, only, go one way. I’d feel a lot more compassion for the other side if it wasn’t THEM doing the oppressing, while they are simultaneously portraying us (Conservatives) as the as the “judgmental Oppressors”.
Frustrating, and a bit infuriating.
I’d like to hear more from the University of DePaul. I’m disappointed in their response based on what I know at this point. There may be more to the story.
So, what happened to the thirteen original vandals? Specifically, did the university do anything to them?
The news report I read did not indicate if there were any repercussions to the vandals. If they had been pro life vandals, the new report might have been more in-depth.
DePaul’s handling of this is pretty appalling. Perhaps this could be justified as a major overreaction to concern that posting students’ names could lead to bullying, but I think it’s doubtful that the administration was thinking along those lines. DePaul is a very, very liberal institution. Still, it’s shocking that they didn’t punish the vandals.
I’m hoping they sanctioned the vandals in some way, but I have not read any news reports that they did.