It has been a massive public relations fiasco, and Marquette had to engage in damage control.
The University just supplied the following statement to Fox News. This, presumably, is what they will tell all media outlets:
It’s possible they just heard of the mural, since they can hardly keep track of everything that occurs on campus. In fact, the bureaucrats who run the University spend most of their time holed up in Zilber Hall, talking to each other, and don’t get out much.
But they should not have hired the sort of leadership for the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center that would allow this to happen.
Further, the office is on the 4th floor of the union. That’s not some “remote area.” The Union is smack in the center of the campus. It’s true there is not a huge amount of foot traffic up to the 4th floor.
What Marquette has done is to install bureaucracies to cater to the demands of politically correct victim groups — or more properly people claiming to represent politically correct victim groups. In those places — the “diversity” bureaucracies, Student Affairs, Campus Ministry and so on — a very narrow and insular worldview prevails. Those folks don’t seem to realize that glorifying a cop killer is a bad thing.
The Gender and Sexuality Resource Center has already embarrassed Marquette once, with the Femsex Workshop, a program that runs roughshod over virtually every Catholic teaching about sex, in addition to having the participants do very silly things, like color pictures of female genitalia. Marquette had to cancel university sponsorship of the program.
It’s interesting that, when the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center was first established, Marquette officials were touting it as a major initiative with huge value to the institution. Now they are saying it has been relegated to a “remote area of campus.”
This incident is thus a window on the culture of political correctness at Marquette.
The University just supplied the following statement to Fox News. This, presumably, is what they will tell all media outlets:
Marquette University statement:Since they could hardly defend the mural, this statement is not surprising.
Our university’s senior leadership just became aware of a mural that was created and displayed in a remote area of campus. This is extremely disappointing as the mural does not reflect the Guiding Values of Marquette University. It is being removed immediately. We are reviewing the circumstances surrounding the mural and will take appropriate action.
It’s possible they just heard of the mural, since they can hardly keep track of everything that occurs on campus. In fact, the bureaucrats who run the University spend most of their time holed up in Zilber Hall, talking to each other, and don’t get out much.
But they should not have hired the sort of leadership for the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center that would allow this to happen.
Further, the office is on the 4th floor of the union. That’s not some “remote area.” The Union is smack in the center of the campus. It’s true there is not a huge amount of foot traffic up to the 4th floor.
What Marquette has done is to install bureaucracies to cater to the demands of politically correct victim groups — or more properly people claiming to represent politically correct victim groups. In those places — the “diversity” bureaucracies, Student Affairs, Campus Ministry and so on — a very narrow and insular worldview prevails. Those folks don’t seem to realize that glorifying a cop killer is a bad thing.
Gender and Sexuality Resource Center
But worse still, the higher administration doesn’t fully comprehend what they have put in place. Rather, the top administrators are proud of their “initiatives” about “diversity” and “inclusion” and “gender and sexuality.” They have pandered to the politically correct, and now are embarrassed at what the politically correct have done.The Gender and Sexuality Resource Center has already embarrassed Marquette once, with the Femsex Workshop, a program that runs roughshod over virtually every Catholic teaching about sex, in addition to having the participants do very silly things, like color pictures of female genitalia. Marquette had to cancel university sponsorship of the program.
It’s interesting that, when the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center was first established, Marquette officials were touting it as a major initiative with huge value to the institution. Now they are saying it has been relegated to a “remote area of campus.”
Who Knew?
Literally dozens of people had to know about the mural. There were, first, all the staffers at the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center. Then there were the members of Alpha Kappa Alpha, who sponsored the project. Then there was everybody who visited the Center since the mural was installed in March. Finally, there was everybody who visited the Facebook page of the Center since March 24. And none of these people found the whole enterprise sufficiently objectionable to raise some hell.This incident is thus a window on the culture of political correctness at Marquette.
I would leave the poster there next to a KKK/Nazi recruitment poster.
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable! I return every piece of mail that the University sends me requesting that my name be removed from ALL University mailings in the wake of your treatment. This only solidifies my decision not to give a dime to the University. Keep up the fight Dr. McAdams! 1985 MU A&S graduate.
ReplyDelete"But worse still, the higher administration doesn't fully comprehended what they have put in place. Rather, the top administrators are proud of their 'initiatives' about 'diversity' and 'inclusion' and 'gender and sexuality.' They have pandered to the politically correct, and now are embarrassed at what the politically correct have done."
ReplyDeleteIs it really the case that they do not comprehend what they are doing? It seems to me that this sort of thing has been going on for so long that the only possible conclusion is that they fully understand what they are doing and only "apologize" when some particular case becomes a public relations problem.
Perhaps you disagree, and will tell me why, but I fully believe that these people would support Benito Mussolini if he came back as a person of a politically correct race, religion and sexuality--black shirt thugs and everything.
I hope you're pleased yourself. You successfully managed to silence Marquette students' right to free speech and free expression by baiting the reactionary media into a hysterical frenzy. Funny how conservatives are big defenders of free speech whenever a racist wants to come to the podium, but immediately rush to call for censorship if somebody (especially a woman or person of color) decides to use their free speech to challenge state authority.
ReplyDeleteYou're reprehensible. Thank goodness Marquette had the good sense to take you out of the classroom and spare the students from your hateful vitriol.z
(And of course you'll probably censor this comment as well. Free speech is only okay if you don't rock any boats, I suppose.)
You guys talk a lot about "political correctness," but I could just as easily argue that you're being just as PC about your own sensibilities regarding your views on sexuality:
ReplyDelete"...the Femsex Workshop, a program that runs roughshod over virtually every Catholic teaching about sex..."
I'd say people should be allowed, or dare I say, encouraged to express ideas that run contrary to Catholic teachings if they want to. You know, as per a campus/society that encourages free speech?
@duerstisms: Perhaps, as a Roman Catholic university, one might expect that the teachings there would conform to Roman Catholic doctrine.
ReplyDeleteBut, clearly, that does seem to be a step too far for you...
Michael Shank: How do you "silence" a "right"?
ReplyDeleteI see a couple of whiny leftists have come into this thread.
ReplyDeleteMichael Shank's comment is the most laughable, since he completely missed the irony he created with his own comment. First he talks about defending free speech, and then proudly proclaims he is happy when Mr. McAdams' free speech is squelched by the same university that does nothing about the mural in question. I really shouldn't be surprised by this reaction. Leftists have no concept of irony whatsoever.
And then comes the other guy, who has completely missed the fact that the university is a Catholic institution.
Let me ask you two geniuses a question: if the mural was a picture of Charles Koch, put in the business schoo's main lobby. Is there a single doubt that the left at the university would be screaming about it, and that the university would have taken it down by now?
If this is what passes for "free speech" and open inquiry on American universities these days, then we really are going downhill as a country.