Comments on the GLBTA/YCT Service Fee Debate
The university-funded “Gay Lesbian and Transgender Alliance” debated with the self-funded “Young Conservatives” tonight. Here are the comments I posted at a local forum:
The GLBTA president is a typical leftist. His sole argument was: “Students are not capable of deciding which groups they should support, so their money should be forcibly taken from them for their own good. This is justified because the free flow of ideas and my freedom of speech is limited if I can’t forcibly take other people’s money to promote views they oppose.”
The president of the YCT replied: “Students should be able to decide which groups they support by choosing which organizations their money will go towards.” (Of course if they do this, they might as well support them by paying dues.)
What he should have added: The right to free speech is solely the right not to have the government forcibly stop you from presenting your views to others, not the “right” to force others to support your views. Governmental coercion is the only valid meaning of the word “censorship.”
I disagree with the conservatives because I think that universities should be able to limit what students can and cannot say on campus and where they can say it. The function of a university is to educate, not to provide a forum for different political views. While school-sponsored events like “Muslim Awareness Week” and “Coming Out Week” are thinly veiled attempts to brainwash students with leftist multicultural garbage, their conservative versions (school-sponsored religious groups, strict visitation rules, etc) are no more justified at a public university. While I believe that all education should be private, I think that private schools should implement the same guidelines.
I couldn’t agree with you more, David. While I abhor the attitude the YCT takes toward the GLBTA I certainly won’t support any organization that asserts that it has a right to my money because “It’s nice not having to worry about money” (as Chris said last night).
Comment by Mike — 10/24/2003 @ 2:21 am
Ask the members of ths GLBTA if students’ funds should be forcibly allocated to a Right to Life Organization, a Students for Bush in 2004 club, or a Protect Marriage Committee, and they might be singing a different tune. Did anyone ask them if they’d object to these allocations? I’d wager they love the idea of forcing students to pay for THEIR organization, but might not feel so happy about being forced to pay for an organization they oppose.
Comment by Anonymous — 10/26/2003 @ 10:41 am
Their argument was that only “non-political” organizations should get funding, so your point wouldn’t really apply.
Comment by David — 10/26/2003 @ 11:12 am