Tag Archives: Michigan State University

They’re yelling themselves hoarse in West Texas

Amarillo is only 120 miles or so north of Lubbock in West Texas.

Both cities are full of happy basketball fans tonight. Indeed, as my wife and I are parked in our RV in far west Amarillo, I am wondering if I can hear the shouts from sports bars all over the city.

Indeed, I might have to dial in my ears to hear the shouts from down yonder in Lubbock, where Texas Tech University sits.

The Red Raiders have earned a shot at the men’s college basketball title by defeating Michigan State University tonight. Now they’ll go after the NCAA men’s title Monday night against the University of Virginia.

I watched every minute of the game. I am not a Tech grad. I don’t even follow college basketball all that closely. But both my wife and I have many Tech grad-friends we met during our many years in Amarillo. I am happy for them all.

However, you can count me as one happy former West Texan who will cheer loudly for the Red Raiders to bring home the hardware.

University students should listen to George Will

Here we go once again: Liberal educators, politicians and students don’t want to hear a voice from the other end of the political spectrum, so they’re launching an effort to ban that voice from their campus.

Please. Stop this nonsense.

Conservative columnist George Will has been invited to deliver the commencement speech at Michigan State University. Alumni, students and some administrators have decided Will’s world view isn’t welcome there. Specifically they object to his recent statements about sexual assault among female college students.

http://mediamatters.org/blog/2014/12/10/us-senator-denounces-michigan-states-decision-t/201841

I’ll stipulate that I disagree with Will’s view that “victimhood” has become some sort of badge of honor. The threat of sexual assault is real and it needs to be dealt with in a serious manner.

Indeed, I generally disagree with just about everything Will says in his column or in his role as a Fox News “contributor.”

There. I’ve declared my bias.

But universities — institutions of higher learning — do themselves a terrible injustice when they prohibit all points of view from being heard on the issues of the day.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, an MSU alumna, has weighed in with her objections to Will’s appearance at her alma mater. She said Will’s “statements on sexual assault are inaccurate, offensive, and don’t represent the values of our state or MSU.”

So … what?

Let the man speak and then challenge his assumptions. Debate them. In the open. Intelligently. Let’s have a full airing of competing ideas on sexual assault.

Universities are supposed to be open to wide ranges of thought, ideology and philosophy. Isn’t there some inscription on some wall at the East Lansing campus that suggests that the university is a place where everyone’s views are welcome?

How about fulfilling the university’s mission and letting a noted conservative commentator speak his mind to students who are able to draw their own conclusions about whether he is right … or wrong?