On Thursday afternoon, November 8, 2012, a Facebook event page went live announcing that the Fordham College Republicans were bringing Ann Coulter to speak at the university.
By late the next afternoon the event was canceled, after a wild and threatening liberal reaction which worried both the University and the Fordham Republicans, and led to concerns over security for the event. I detail below the interactions which led to the cancellation.
The cancellation received national attention in part because the President of the University, Father Joseph M. McShane, weighed in with a public condemnation of the Coulter invitation in a blast e-mail at 2:17 p.m. on November 9 sent to students, faculty, alumni and parents. While ostensibly declining to cancel the event, Father McShane's statement lambasted the Fordham Republicans as lacking sound "judgment and maturity" even as the University
welcomed Peter Singer, an advocate of infanticide, to campus.
While the leadership of the Fordham Republicans has maintained that the decision to cancel was made prior to and was not related to Father McShane's email, the timing was not so simple. Father McShane's e-mail condemnation was sent as a majority of the Board of the College Republicans was voting, via text messages, to cancel, but long before the decision was finalized or conveyed to the administration or the community. Father McShane's letter forced their hand and obviated further discussion, including participation by a Board member who was unavailable at the time and who opposed cancellation.
No statements questioning the "judgment and maturity" of the students attacking the Fordham Republicans were issued by the Fordham administration. No statements were issued demanding "civility" on the part of those clamoring for Coulter to be kept off campus. Instead, the Fordham administration sided with the unruly feeding frenzy. Shame on Fordham.
The Fordham Republican leadership reacted in haste and without due deliberation because they were unprepared for the over-the-top reaction compounded by a public shaming by the University administration. The membership is deeply divided and bitter over the cancellation and the manner in which it was accomplished.
The end result was that students did not get to hear and challenge Coulter on her views and prior statements. Intellectual cowardice not courage prevailed.
