The College Fix

The College Fix presents a roundup of the top scandals, screw-ups, and stupid decisions involving college campuses. This week, the University of Virginia fired its president—psych!—and a university-sponsored racial tolerance campaign sets new standards for stupid. But first…

3). A new poll shows that 76% of Americans believe higher education is a right. I’m guessing at least some of the poll’s respondents confused the term “universal human right” with “nice, good thing.” A right is something that all people, by virtue of being human, deserve. A nice, good thing is something that many people would like to have, but their humanity remains intact if they don’t get it. We have the right not to be harmed by others. We have the right to pursue our happiness, and own property. We do not have the right for nice things to be automatically provided to us, as would be the case if higher education were a right. The maintenance of our rights should not require unsustainable state spending levels.

Higher education is a benefit for members of a prosperous, civilized society. It’s something to be earned, not doled out by the government and provided for by taxpayers. What about the right not to have to pay for somebody to get an art history degree?

2). The board of the University of Virginia forced its president, Teresa Sullivan, to resign. Then it rehired her. This is a strange, strange story. Sullivan was seemingly let go due to differences with the board on financial and operational matters. But faculty leaders were so incensed—and board members so wishy-washy—that she was brought back after a few days.

Then everybody sang a song together.

1). The Un-Fair Campaign, sponsored by the University of Minnesota, wants to end racism by threatening white people. The slogan: “It’s hard to see racism when you’re white.”

The campaign’s website and promotional material is covered with white people confessing their complicity in racism by literally writing their crimes all over their faces. “Is white skin really ‘fair’ skin?” and “I am a white man. That’s unfair,” are just some of the things scrawled across the faces of the people promoting this campaign–who, by the way, are idiots.

There is no worse way to foster racial equality than by pointing fingers at all members of a certain race. That’s actually the opposite of racial equality. A class of kindergartners could put together a better racial awareness campaign.

For their tone-deaf ad strategy and reverse-racist message, the creators of the Un-Fair Campaign have earned the top spot for the week.

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