To The Editor:
Free speech is something that colleges and universities everywhere claim to encourage for their students. We have a Critical Thinking class here that is designed to encourage and expand the ability of students to think and speak for themselves, and I am sure that other campuses have similar programs.
Unfortunately, Emmanuel College does not seem to be one of them. Recently, in a surprising revocation of First Amendment rights, financial accounting adjunct professor Nicholas Winset was fired for putting on a “five-minute demonstration…[soon after the Virginia Tech tragedy that] included a discussion of gun control, whether to respond to violence with violence, and the public’s “celebration of victimhood…”
Part of the demonstration included Winset pointing a marker at a student and simulating firing the “weapon.” A student then responded by “shooting” Winset with another marker he could have had on him if the school policies allowed it. According to the college, on boston.com, “Winset’s firing “had nothing to do with academic freedom” but rather “his insensitivity toward the students who were murdered at Virginia Tech” and “his use of obscene and discriminatory language which is not tolerated from students, faculty or staff at this institution.”
Winset was “disparaging the victims as rich white kids combined with an obscene epithet. He did not do this as part of an open debate with his students,” the statement said.”
This is all very ridiculous. Winset has received supporting e-mails numerous students, according to boston.com, and one student stated that nobody was interviewed or asked questions prior to the firing. What happened to free speech and the right to bring up controversial topics? Should we all sit there and try to blame society, or the gun companies, or the wrath of God? Those are the easy ways out of this situation, and they are totally unacceptable.
Personally, I think that students should be allowed to have concealed weapons on campus as long as they pass state and federal gun laws and standards. That way, should a person go nuts and try to kill fellow students, the rest of us can stop him or her in their tracks. After all, if you take away guns from the law-abiding citizens, only the killers and other criminals will have them.
Emmanuel College administrators should be ashamed of themselves. This is yet another example of how ridiculous higher education seems to be getting. A professor at UNH ranted in his class last year about a conspiracy theory regarding President Bush and 9/11, but he merely got lots of news coverage and no official punishment. There are professors on this campus who love to have feminist opinions-but don’t dare defend men, or you are a bigot and a chauvinist pig. Personally, I am tired of it all, and ready for colleges to grow up and accept that not everyone will accept the constant nattering of whacked-out opinions. In fact, students and other may actually think for themselves and find creative solutions to society’s problems that actually work. (We wouldn’t want that, now would we?)
Thank you,
Dustin Siggins