Republican Lawmaker Criticizes ‘Social Justice Agenda’ in Higher Education
“painting a picture of a campus where they said young conservatives are either afraid to speak out or bullied by their own professors for wearing MAGA hats”
Rep. Barbara Ehardt said this during a forum on diversity. That took guts.
Idaho Ed News reports:
Boise State Diversity Forum: GOP Lawmaker Says Social Justice Agenda Has Run Amok
More than 300 people crowded into Boise State University’s student union building Tuesday night to hear a bipartisan panel of lawmakers speak to diversity issues that have generated headlines for months.
Boise State College Republicans and Boise State Young Democrats teamed up to organize the forum, featuring Reps. Barbara Ehardt and Bryan Zollinger, both R-Idaho Falls, House Minority Leader Mat Erpelding, D-Boise, and Sen. Cherie Buckner-Webb, D-Boise.
One cornerstone of the discussion was Ehardt’s three-page, July 9 letter to new Boise State President Marlene Tromp, where Ehardt and 27 other House co-signers urged Tromp to reconsider a series of diversity, equality and inclusion initiatives.
Ehardt addressed the letter several times Tuesday, while stressing that she does value higher education and diversity.
“Colleges and universities are getting away from their intended purpose of education and instead are focusing on social justice agendas, seemingly in every class,” Ehardt said.
Several times, Ehardt and Zollinger said their concerns were with “a bloated bureaucracy” that is growing out of control and leaving taxpayers on the hook for millions in unchecked spending. They also said the issue was about free speech, painting a picture of a campus where they said young conservatives are either afraid to speak out or bullied by their own professors for wearing MAGA hats espousing support for President Trump. Finally, they suggested that programs such as Black Graduation, Rainbow Graduation, Pow Wows, graduate fellowships for underrepresented minority students and a gender-based violence community-coordinated response team actually segregate and divide the campus instead of support diversity and inclusivity.
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
It’s about time more colleges sponsored these kinds of programs where both sides of issues can be presented. But Idaho is more open-minded and less prejudiced than many other states (WA, OR, CA, MA, NY to name a few).
In any of those highly-prejudiced states, any program that includes both sides of a discussion would be labeled as racist, sexist, fascist, homophobic, transphobic, or any of the other current epithets. I can’t imagine trying to run such a panel discussion in California.
“… while stressing that she does value higher education and diversity.”
You may gently chastise if you must, but you WILL kiss the ring.
It’s tearing our country apart.
That’s what they want. Divide and conquer. It started with hyphen-Americans, then “diversity”, that is, emphasizing our differences rather than encouraging unity.