From sunny and charming La Jolla, California, I bring rather daunting and implicating news about the attack on free speech at UCSD. For the past several weeks, UCSD students have faced ramifications of a situation taken way too far. From the Compton Cookout to the Associated Students of UCSD’s injunction on cutting media organization funds to the hanging of a noose in Geisel Library to the display of a Ku Klux Klan hood on the Theodor Geisel statue, a lot of things have transpired on my campus for the worst. Yet, the only media outlet at UCSD exposing the truth behind these calamities is The California Review, the conservative paper whose editor-in-chief, Alec Weisman, is attributed for such excellent and fair reporting of the incidents.
The controversy began with the Compton Cookout party, which was held off campus in mid-February and hosted by DJ Jiggaboo Jones (who is black), intended to mock Black History Month. The event called for guys and gals to wear gold teeth and “ghetto” fashion. The drive-by media fails to account for this fact, stating that “racist” members from various UCSD fraternities were instrumental in causing the Compton Cookout. These racially-themed parties are quite commonplace at universities all-around the United States, and greatly evince poor taste. Yet, the university made a big deal about the event, sending out several e-mails denouncing the incident. Nevertheless, matters only got worst as the Associated Students went after infamous satiric paper, The Koala, and subsequently imposed a collective punishment on all media organizations.
The Koala, which is a publication that mocks all groups, is known for its outrageous material. The Associated Students of UCSD first got on their case after they mocked the death of a UCSD pole-vaulter in early fall quarter and subsequently did so again after the paper mocked the reaction to the Compton Cookout by offering praise for it and calling members of the Black Student Union, “ungrateful n——,” on Student Run Television, where they broadcast a show formatted like their paper.
Liberals on campus are arguing that this offensive speech of targeting individual groups with the intent at poking fun at them should be limited because it threatens their “well-being.” The Koala follows the same style as many shows on Comedy Central, but do you see liberals calling for its inevitable shutdown? On February 18th, 2010, the Associated Students placed a moratorium on funds for media organizations, causing the necessary call to battle against censorship of free speech. Basically, all the student-run newspapers suffered collective punishment from the ASUCSD. Assistance from FIRE and the ACLU has prompted the effort to force and demand Chancellor Marye Ann Fox to reinstate funds for media organizations. These firms have noted that the UCSD administration will face subsequent legal action with the help of consul if they fail to comply.
As a response to the incident and The Koala’s exercise of individual albeit controversial opinion, the Black Student Union drafted a list of 32 demands for the university to meet in a timely manner. They called for Chancellor Marye Ann Fox to implement various “racial improvements,” along with citing concerns about their well-being. Demands included a separate space for black students to convene peacefully (Plessy vs. Ferguson reinstated, anyone?), the necessity for an African-American and Chicano studies minor, holistic approach when it comes to admissions selection (a.k.a. affirmative action), among many other outrageous demands. (As of March 3rd, 2010, the UCSD Administration has submitted to pressures from the Black Student Union and is working to implement their demands in a timely fashion). Conservatives, liberals, and apathetic students at UCSD were appalled by this list of demands, which gives great preferential treatment to those with “racial disadvantages.” Higher education should emphasize merit, initiative, and talent, not promote the easy route to an outlet like university because they are of a different skin color. There are plenty of minority students here at UCSD who do not need to rely on the basis of their skin to get ahead. Students are individuals, not those who tout a skin color or different appearance. Enough of this manufactured racial divide which puts down people and creates lowered standards. The liberal indoctrination on college campuses, as with its plaguing of culture in general, allows for real racism to be witnessed—a fact liberals hate to admit or acknowledge.