Over the last couple weeks, California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif., has received some horrible public relations, questioning its commitment to “diversity” and “inclusion,” despite a concerted effort by the university administration to make this a priority.
On April 7, a Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity member painted his face black during PolyCultural Weekend. The university responded by suspending the fraternity pending an investigation of the incident, and hosted a packed forum about the incident.
During the forum, President Armstrong was grilled by student activists representing minority groups. Although he told the attendees that his “number one priority has been to enhance diversity and inclusivity,” one student told him that this commitment was a lie, and that he wasn’t working hard enough to “keep in contact with minority groups and organizations.” Another student slammed him for not expelling the student in question.
In the face of this pressure, Armstrong reaffirmed his commitment to free speech and admitted that the student was unlikely to face expulsion.
“Although atrocious, he’s protected by free speech,” said the embattled president.
Minority clubs on campus went on to stage organized protests and demand action from the president during Cal Poly’s Open House weekend, but the president simply carried on the investigation as he promised.
Following these protests, racist flyers, graffiti, and other offensive activity seemed to pop up around campus, sparking further outrage from students and professors. It would have been easy for the president to make an example out of a couple students by expelling them, but instead he issued a unifying message to the entire campus community.
In his carefully crafted email, Armstrong condemned the hateful activities of the few involved, but bolstered his stance on free speech.
“These activities are the desperate work of a few who would seek to spread hate and divide us at a vulnerable time,” Armstrong said. “For those engaging in these activities, I want be very clear: While free speech is protected by the First Amendment, actions that violate the law and extend beyond First Amendment rights will not be tolerated.”
“Cal Poly is a microcosm of general society,” he continued. “We have representative diversity, which means that every perspective, political persuasion, and philosophical and world view is represented. […] I say this not to be dismissive of our need to improve our campus culture. I believe, though, that the vast majority of our students, faculty and staff are good people who want and work for the same things for Cal Poly: An inclusive campus rooted in respect for all of its members.”
Armstrong’s calculated response to the activists on campus is commendable. Rather than conceding to outraged student groups looking for a knee-jerk response, the president defended the First Amendment and instructed protesters on the meaning of diversity. At the same time, he undermined their argument that these isolated incidents somehow make the school racist.
Unfortunately for Armstrong, this argument was fanned by a local headline that Cal Poly is the “whitest public university in California.”
As the university prepares for yet another controversy — the encore appearance of conservative firebrand Milo Yiannopoulos — campus leadership has exercised the same prudence, becoming a model for how free speech can and should be protected on campus.
“Censoring language and viewpoints violates First Amendment rights and does not represent what Cal Poly stands for as a university,” said Cal Poly spokesman Matt Lazier.
