West Chester, Pa.— The last couple of months have been really exciting, especially around here. Statewide, Pennsylvania has a politically diverse group of individuals eager to discuss the issues with college students on both sides.
I wish I could say the same about campus here at West Chester University, but in the last two and a half months, I was discriminated against more on this campus for being a College Republican than I ever have in my whole life for being an Arab, which is not a lot to say, but still I find it ironic. Discrimination is defined by Princeton as “unfair treatment” of a person or group on the basis of prejudice. What adds to this irony is that most of this discrimination came from the faculty and not students.
Remember, I’m not talking about heated debate, or even yelling at each other on the issues, but just downright spitefulness.
A few professors have left me with bad memories. They include the History professor who badgered me because I didn’t know my recruitment table’s permit number, and eventually left echoing “I know who you are,” as if to suggest bad consequences on us. Someone actually did call the police, but they never came. This is probably because the police, unlike this professor know that a College Republican recruitment table is not a threat to public safety.
Then there was a Biology Professor who passed the College Republican table three times only to say loudly “shame on you” or just “shame.” It is ironic how he probably doesn’t even know who we are, but that all he needs to do is see the Republican label and pass judgment.
Don’t stop, it gets “better.” There are even other professors who I don’t even know coming up to me to say “you’re wrong” and walk off. However, among the many incidents to choose, my personal favorite is the Philosophy professor who chose to tell his class that my writing is garbage, but hey, any publicity is good publicity, right?
Anyway, this handful of professors, who chose not to debate me, or discuss the issues with me, but instead simply resort to name calling and other ridiculous acts, in my view chose to become prejudiced. Look, I’ve got no doubt that my writing is provocative, and I’m sure that the left-leaning professors disagree. Paradoxically, I am a student who shares a common goal with these professors, in raising concern about voting and the issues. Amid my activism, I had looked forward to debate and discussion, but I encountered instead cheap shots from intimidators who are supposed to be educators. It amazes me that individuals who hold such prestigious degrees could be so spiteful.
Some one else on staff told me that the degrees some one holds only shows what they have done in college, and that degrees in education do not equal degrees in maturity. After my experience on campus this past semester, I find myself forced to accept this. So, I would like to leave these few (and it’s really only a few in my opinion) bad apples with some suggestions. First of all, if you don’t like what I write in the Quad or what we College Republicans believe, then you and I can have a discussion on that. There is no need to be obnoxious. Secondly, and this is a golden rule, if you’re not going to say something scholarly (or constructive), then don’t say anything at all, just walk by. For this campus has a civility statement, that both students AND faculty ought to follow.
In expressing my frustration at a few bad apples, I want to leave you with the point that I don’t view the faculty entirely this way, but I do get annoyed when a few professors do something that harms the good name of the faculty overall. I have chosen not to name those individuals out of respect for the WCU faculty, a group of distinguished individuals who if I didn’t care about, I wouldn’t be writing this, and that is the honest-to-God truth.
Yet, I also care about fair treatment of students and democracy with civility on both sides, and therefore I must speak out, in hope that improvements will be made in the future.
So I am going to note the one positive experience that I have had. Keep in mind that this is what democracy on campus is about. This is the way it should be. I had a history professor last semester, and he reads the Quad. This professor and I are opposites on viewpoints. He and I might spend our lifetimes opposing each other’s policies. So he emailed me one day on an article I wrote about how the movie, Fahrenheit 9-11 took away the memoriam theme of 9-11 (September 14), saying that he read it and wanted to discuss it with me. The email was appropriately titled, “Let’s have a discussion…” So I went to his office hours and we discussed my piece, and then the professor even showed me some of his publications to read. Not only did I get respect, but I felt a sense of fairness and educational value in discussing the issues. Again, I’m not going to mention names, but I will clearly say that this was one of the best educational experiences I have had outside of the classroom and co-curricular programs.
So given this one light in an otherwise dark room, I have chosen to be an optimist on academia’s outlook. I’m confident that civility in faculty-student discussion remains a prominent piece in the many more election years to come, but it’s up to the faculty. Educate or intimidate.
Anthony Maalouf is a junior at West Chester University majoring in Political Science with a minor in Spanish.
