Southern Methodist University has shut down a Young Conservatives of Texas anti-affirmative action bake sale.
A sign said white males had to pay $1 for a cookie. The price was 75 cents for white women, 50 cents for Hispanics and 25 cents for blacks.
Members of the conservative group said they meant no offense and were only trying to protest the use of race or gender as a factor in college admissions.
Similar sales have been held by College Republican chapters at colleges in at least five other states since February.
A black student filed a complaint with SMU, saying the sale was offensive. SMU officials said they halted the event after 45 minutes because it created a potentially unsafe situation.
Hmm. Does that mean that if an Asian, European, Middle Eastern, or whatever student filed a complaint with SMU saying that racial preferences in admissions was “offensive” the university would abandon the policy? What if preference opponents threatened to create an “usafe situation”?
“This was not an issue about free speech,” Tim Moore, director of the SMU student center, said in a story for Thursday’s edition of The Dallas Morning News. “It was really an issue where we had a hostile environment being created.”
No one can expect SMU to tolerate a speech-induced “hostile environment.” Any more than one could have expected slaveholders to tolerate abolitionist publications sent through the mail or Bull Connor to tolerate hostility-inducing civil rights protesters in Birmingham.
The cookie sale just had the wrong categories. If affirmative action is not about race then I would suggest the following categories.
White Liberal Democrats 1.00
White Conservative Republicans 2.00 (They must be rich)
Black Democrats .50 (They need the most help)
Black Republicans 1.00 (But only 1 cookie available, and it is not really black)
Hispanic Democrats .75 (They are not as solid behind the program)
Hispanic Republicans (Not Available)
Southern Democrats .50 (Skeleton cookies, a dying breed)
Southern Republican 1.00 (Awful tasting fig newtons, when available)
Government workers and Legislators Free (They got theirs at the party before the sale)
Big Business Leaders Free (They got theirs at the party before the sale)
American Indian Casino Leaders 50.00 (They pay for all the cookies)
SMU’s respect for diversity of opinion is reflected in their shutting down the bake sale. One wonders how their invite their graduation speakers or how their student union hires speakers who loudly proclaim the “diversity” mantra.
Dean for Student Affairs Jim Caswell was quoted on ABC World News on 9/25 and said “the policy saids very clearly that all members of the University are protected from harassment. Some folks felt harassed felt by this discriminatory venue.” By shutting down the bake sale with such rationale, he unintentionally opened a pandoras box and created an unprecedented opportunity for conservative activists at SMU. The next time a left leaning student group, and I am betting there are many at SMU, decide to have a protest or a rally, conservative students should act “harassed” and demand that the Dean puts an end to their activities. For example, Catholic students should complain when pro-choice students chant “rosaries off my ovaries.” ROTC students should get upset when anti war or “peace” activists complain about our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. Evangelical Christians should protest everytime there is any activity by a gay/lesbian/bisexual student group. The Dean for Student Affairs will be placed in the unenviable position of having to choose between shutting down on these activities or opening himself and the University up to accusations of violating conservative students of their equal rights protection.
On a humorous note, most of the media coverage may have missed the biggest irony of the bake sale. The Young Conservatives charged $1 to white men, 75 cents to white women, 50 cents to Hispanics, and 25 cent to blacks. The prices, however, do not include what is being charged to Asian Americans. I guess their intentions may have been to communicate that Asians Americans, who are hurt by affirmative action more than any other group, are not welcomed at participating at the bake sale.