(John Ransom, Headline USA) Elizabethtown College, also known as Etown College, as a bastion of paleo-liberalism in Pennsylvania, is refusing to answer questions from civil rights organizations about racist policies that it’s imposed over the last year, deliberately flouting federal law and the college’s own policies, said JustTheNews.
The college has helped organize events that specifically excluded white people, a violation of federal civil rights laws, state law and even the college’s internal policies, one group organized to protect civil rights on college campuses told JustTheNews.
At the same time the college has prevented a conservative organization from organizing or traveling to several events using several different pretexts to stop them.
If you’re a fan of violating student rights, you’re going to love Elizabethtown College! @EtownCollege has everything: segregation, infringements on free speech, and denial of due process. Read about its latest misstep concerning @TPUSA. https://t.co/oRGEegpXJw
— FIRE (@TheFIREorg) March 22, 2022
“At this point one has to wonder: Is Etown intentionally flouting its own policies, or does it not even understand them?” asked the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), a college civil rights organization, in its blog.
Etown, egregiously prevented a conservative organization, Turning Point USA’s (TPUSA), active chapter at the college from traveling to a patriotic celebration of the United States, called AmericaFest, by saying that the chapter’s raising of funds via GoFundMe was in violation of the college’s rules said FIRE.
TPUSA responded that the GoFundMe fundraising was necessary because Covid rules imposed by the college prevented TPUSA from using its own funds for the travel, according to FIRE.
Previously FIRE reported that Etown had shut down a TPUSA event at the college that was scheduled to cover the controversial topic of Critical Race Theory in the United States, which a speaker invited to the event, Joe Basrawi, described as Critical Hate Theory.
“TPUSA is an organization, and Joe Basrawi is an individual, that seeks to cause division and disorder on campuses,” said Etown in a letter canceling the event, according to FIRE.
Which is the same sentiment that was echoed in the college’s student newspaper The Etownian.
“I was happy that the event was cancelled on campus,” senior political science and environmental science double major Dylan Kezele told the Etownian. “Critical race theory is an academic theory, and [Basrawi] did not have the qualifications to speak on it.”
Kezele seem to be acting as a mouthpiece for Etown College, when he told the Etownian, that he didn’t want TPUSA on campus, accusing the organization of the liberal thought crime of spreading “Covid misinformation” according to Etownian.
“The club’s existence on campus is antithetical to Etown’s goal of diversity and inclusion,” said Kezele, who seemed to be channeling the college’s administration.
It used to be the colleges and universities were organized with the goal of promoting knowledge, not ignorance.
