Posted by
America Forever on Saturday, November 11, 2006 12:39:35 AM
Freedom of Speech vs. Freedom to Disapprove
Reuters (11/10/06) reported the story of the student trustees at Orange Coast College barring the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance at their meetings:
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Student leaders at a California college have touched off a furor by banning the Pledge of Allegiance at their meetings, saying they see no reason to publicly swear loyalty to God and the U.S. government..........The move was led by three recently elected student trustees, who ran for office wearing revolutionary-style berets and said they do not believe in publicly swearing an oath to the American flag and government at their school. One student trustee voted against the measure, which does not apply to other student groups or campus meetings........."That ('under God') part is sort of offensive to me," student trustee Jason Ball, who proposed the ban, told Reuters. "I am an atheist and a socialist, and if you know your history, you know that 'under God' was inserted during the McCarthy era and was directly designed to destroy my ideology."
Orange Coast College describes itself on its website as:
Orange Coast College, located in Costa Mesa just minutes from Southern California’s beautiful beaches, was founded in 1948 with an opening day enrollment of 500 students. In the years since, it has grown into one of the nation’s largest -- and finest -- community colleges, enrolling more than 28,000 students each semester. Featuring exceptional facilities and the latest in computer and high-tech equipment, OCC offers more than 130 academic and career programs, including one of the nation’s largest and most acclaimed public nautical programs. Nearly half the students on campus are enrolled in one of OCC's career and technical programs.
Furthermore, Orange Coast College ranks first out of Orange County's nine community colleges in the number of students it transfers to the University of California and California State University systems. Over the past decade, nearly 16,000 OCC students have transferred to UC and CSU campuses. Additionally, many Orange Coast students go on to transfer to private colleges and universities within California and across the nation.
Orange Coast College offers fall, spring, and summer classes. The fall and spring semesters are 16 weeks in length. Fall classes begin in August,with late-starting classes commencing in September and October. Spring classes begin in January, with late starting classes commencing in February and March. OCC's summer session offers six and eight-week classes which begin in June.
The college is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Oh, to be 18 again and be able to attend classes at Orange Coast College. I profess that I don't know much about California community colleges but I always thought they were extensions of high schools for the spoiled youth of California. Two years of surf and fun before getting serious and going to a four-year college. Again, I profess that I don't know much about the California higher ed system but I think you do two years of community college and then typically do another four years at a four-year college to get an undergraduate degree. Oh, to be young again and in California.
Reuters reports that:
Martha Parham, a spokeswoman for the Coast Community College District, said her office had no standing on the student board and took no position on the flag salute ban.
"If their personal belief is that they don't want to say the Pledge of Allegiance, the district certainly isn't going to dictate what they do," she said.
It seems that stupidity reigns at the administration level as much as it does in the student trustee group. Would the spokesman have said the same thing if the trustees had required the reading of racially offensive messages at the start of each meeting? Clearly not! And, rightly not!
The response of one of the students cited by Reuters says it all for me:
"America is the one thing I'm passionate about and I can't let them take that away from me," 18-year-old political science major Christine Zoldos told Reuters.
"The fact that they have enough power to ban one of the most valued traditions in America is just horrible," Zoldos said, adding she would attend every board meeting to salute the flag.
The right to a public higher education comes from the generosity of the taxpayers and financial and other support from the private citizens in the community. No one can abridge the right of the radical students to their free speech. But, the taxpayers and the community can start questioning the reckless use of their money by Orange Coast College. At the very least, we can expect the college's administrators to express their disappointment with the actions of the student trustees in no uncertain terms.