Threatened Incoming Marquette Freshman Conservative: Letter to Admissions Dean

“Brian” here is Brian Troyer, Marquette Dean of Admissions.  Background on this is here.

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Brian:
              You have, in recent days, been subjected to demands from a leftist mob that you cancel the admission to Marquette of a woman named Samantha.  She expressed some political opinions on social media to which the mob objected, and now they want to punish her.

              You, unfortunately, have encouraged this by cancelling another incoming freshman student who likewise made a social media post the mob found unacceptable.

              If you give the mob what it wants this time, you will face a situation where you will be swamped with demands that any conservative student who expressed his or her opinions on social media be cancelled.  It will spiral out of control.  It is time to draw the line.

              The mob, of course, will say it’s not any conservative opinion to which they object, but only “hate speech” directed at “marginalized groups.”  It should be obvious to you that these people are so immersed in identity politics that any conservative opinion is interpreted this way.  Oppose abortion, and you are “sexist.”  Oppose gay marriage and you are “homophobic.”  Oppose tearing down statues (even Lincoln and U.S. Grant) and you are favoring “white supremacy.”

              The mob is intolerant of any and all disagreement.

Your Interrogation

              Samantha says that, during the interrogation to which your office subjected her, she was told that someone with her political opinions on campus would make favored victim groups feel “unsafe.”

              This would be hilarious if it were not so outrageous.

              The mob is essentially taking the position that they feel “unsafe” merely because of the existence of people who disagree with them.  I’m sure you would have no sympathy for a business major who claimed to feel “unsafe” hearing the philosophy of Karl Marx, or a devout Catholic who claimed to feel “unsafe” hearing atheist arguments.

              But those are not politically correct victim groups.  Thus it is fine to subject them to arguments and viewpoints with which they disagree.   Indeed, that should be a key part of a college education.

              It is condescending and paternalistic to believe that favored victim groups should be protected from viewpoints with which they are presumed to disagree.

              Note that I say “presumed” since not all members of victim groups believe what white leftists think they are supposed to believe.  American Indians, for example, don’t mind the athletic nickname “Redskins,” according to a poll in the Washington Post.

              It would be one thing if Samantha had, for example, advocated beating up transgender people.  But she did no such thing.  She simply asserted that if somebody is a biological male, she refuses to believe that they are really female merely because they think they are female.

              She has science on her side.

              She also has the teachings of the Catholic Church on her side.  Pope Francis has spoken out on this.   Do you really want to cancel the admission of a student because she stands with Catholic teaching on gender?  Do you want to reinforce the narrative that says Marquette is no sort of “Catholic university” but just a secular politically correct one?

Unsafe?

              But the claims on behalf of favored victim groups that they feel “unsafe” are simply lies.  The worst thing they might face at Marquette is somebody who disagrees with them, and that happens far too little.

              But they know that claims of being “offended” and feeling “unsafe” are tactics they can use to shut up and stifle opinions of which they are intolerant.

              It speaks very badly of the Marquette administration when they accept – either through naïveté or unprincipled expediency – such claims.

              Ironically, Samantha has been subjected to posts promising or wanting physical violence against her.  So who is “unsafe?”

Litmus Test

              So this issue is a litmus test for the Marquette administration.  Does Marquette care about tolerance and diversity of opinion, or is it just a secular, politically correct reeducation camp, with a rigid orthodoxy.  And indeed an orthodoxy that is not merely heedless of Catholic teaching, but hostile to it.

              A huge amount of evidence supports that latter view.  Do you want to give students, potential students, alumni and the general public yet more evidence that it’s true?

John McAdams

Political Science

Marquette Warrior Blog