Think Differently: The Police Will Contact You

Think Differently: The Police Will Contact You

You doubtless heard of the incident where a student was supposed to give a oral presentation on an important topic--and the professor stopped him part way through because he was arguing for "one man, one woman" marriage laws, called him a "fascist bastard" and otherwise behaved inappropriately. Here's an example of academic support for freedom of thought that makes that pale in comparison. From Central Connecticut State University's student newspaper, The Recorder, February 24, 2009:

For CCSU student John Wahlberg, a class presentation on campus violence turned into a confrontation with the campus police due to a complaint by the professor.

On October 3, 2008, Wahlberg and two other classmates prepared to give an oral presentation for a Communication 140 class that was required to discuss a “relevant issue in the media”. Wahlberg and his group chose to discuss school violence due to recent events such as the Virginia Tech shootings that occurred in 2007.

Shortly after his professor, Paula Anderson, filed a complaint with the CCSU Police against her student. During the presentation Wahlberg made the point that if students were permitted to conceal carry guns on campus, the violence could have been stopped earlier in many of these cases. He also touched on the controversial idea of free gun zones on college campuses.

That night at work, Wahlberg received a message stating that the campus police “requested his presence”. Upon entering the police station, the officers began to list off firearms that were registered under his name, and questioned him about where he kept them.

They told Wahlberg that they had received a complaint from his professor that his presentation was making students feel “scared and uncomfortable”.

...

Professor Anderson refused to comment directly on the situation and deferred further comment.

“It is also my responsibility as a teacher to protect the well being of our students, and the campus community at all times,” she wrote in a statement submitted to The Recorder. “As such, when deemed necessary because of any perceived risks, I seek guidance and consultation from the Chair of my Department, the Dean and any relevant University officials.”

...

“If you can’t talk about the Second Amendment, what happened to the First Amendment?” asked Sara Adler, president of the Riflery and Marksmanship club on campus. “After all, a university campus is a place for the free and open exchange of ideas.”

Nope. Not now that the left is in charge. Imagine if, in 1970, a student had given a presentation in a class in support of homosexual marriage. Would even the most conservative professor have called the police, so that they could interrogate the student about his sexual preferences? What calls itself liberalism today is really fascism.

There are days that I think that defunding most of the squishy subjects (English, History, Psychology, Art, Ethnic Studies) in state colleges wouldn't be any great loss.

UPDATE: It is conceivable that this student said something that was genuinely scary, or that indicated that he was engaged in a violation of law (perhaps carrying concealed on campus)--but it seems pretty odd that the professor wouldn't defend her call to the police department by mentioning this.