On March 16th, 2017 I held a satirical “Social ‘Justice’ Bake Sale” at Regis University to start a conversation about the inherently hypocritical nature of the University’s “Social Justice Week.” As I had little success recruiting or starting conversations at my previous tables recruiting for my Young Americans for Liberty chapter, I knew that something out-of-the-box was absolutely necessary. I expected extreme backlash from students, as social justice is the dominant culture on campus.
What I did not expect, however, was a stifling of my freedom of expression, a witch hunt facilitated by staff, personal attacks from those in charge of my education, and libelous statements released by the University to the press.
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Just over one hour after the table had begun, I was accosted by Dean of Students, Diane McSheehy, who called my event a “demonstration,” and ordered me and my volunteers to discontinue it. She later insisted in an email that she did not shut down the table. It is important to note that the table space was approved by Event Services, whom I had been reserving space with for months. Feeling this as an attack on the subject matter and myself rather than enforcement of rules, I reached out to FIRE (The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education), who sent Regis a letter on March 22nd and requested a response by April 5th.
The situation quickly devolved from there. I learned from an anonymous source that the Diversity Office, headed by my (now former) advisor Nicki Gonzales, had held a “public” meeting to address the situation. The meeting lasted for an hour and a half, with approximately 40 people in attendance that, from my understanding, were exclusively invited. To ensure transparency I went to the source. After expressing my concern regarding the meeting to Dr. Gonzales, she immediately became defensive and agitated when I pushed the matter further. She refused to entertain the possibility that assembling 40 people angry people in one place, with no dissenting opinions, may not be the best way to de-escalate a situation. Seeing that the conversation was going nowhere, I exited her office. Gonzales proceeded to follow me across campus for around 15 minutes, even into the Campus Safety office. I ended up missing a Latin exam due to her antics. The next few days proceeded rather smoothly, save for the increase in threats made to me by Antifa (the group that rioted at UC-Berkeley to shut down Milo Yiannopoulos), and the occasional heckling on the way to class.
I woke up on March 30th to find that the official University twitter account had “blocked” me.
I would love to say that I wasn’t surprised, but their continued childish and vindictive behavior has managed to surprise me at just about every turn. As my Parents and I had a meeting later that day with the Provost, Janet Houser (who, incidentally, donated over $100,000 to Regis in 2013-14, prior to obtaining her position), we decided to address it with her then. In that meeting with the Provost, it quickly became evident that no progress would be made. She informed us that she found the event “deeply offensive, as a woman,” and repeatedly insisted it was “racist.” I demanded to know what she was going to do about Dr. Gonzales and the rest of the staff creating strife, to “facilitate me finishing this semester,” and she told me that “It’s not that I can’t do anything, but that I’m not going to.” She refused to comment when asked which University protocol indicates when a student is blocked by the twitter account.
The next day, a segment and article was released on Denver Channel 7 stating that Regis did shut down the table, and including a statement released by Regis University stating I violated federal law. I am happy to turn myself into that authorities if that is the case, but I’m rather sure it’s not. We have moved from abuse of power, to facilitation and encouragement of hatred, to personal attacks, and now, to libel. When facts are scarce, ad hominem attacks reign.
College campuses are every bit as bad as you hear. Conservatives are the only ones who often point this out. This says something about how far these institutions have strayed. The fact that I am seeking to continue my education in another venue speaks volumes to the hateful and intolerant atmosphere Universities across the country foster. This is why organizations like Young Americans for Liberty and Turning Point USA are so important. I urge all students to seek out or found chapters of these organizations on their campuses. Our country depends on it.
