The National Review:
An ACLU Kentucky communications associate criticized Transylvania University on Saturday for accepting Nick Sandmann, the high school student who sued major news outlets for their coverage of a controversial interaction he and several of his classmates had with a Native American activist.
“Does anyone else think it’s a bit of a stain on Transylvania University for accepting Nick Sandman [sic]? I’m sure it’s a “both sides” defense, but it’s pretty counter to their mission and another instance of there not actually being equal sides to an issue,” ACLU’s Samuel Crankshaw said in a Facebook post first uncovered by Jonathan Turley.
“I think TU should accept anyone willing to have an open mind and engage in debate, regardless of their views. That’s how we all learn,” he continued. “But this kid clearly is a provocateur in training with no intention of learning. He exists only to troll, intimidate and play victim.”
An assistant professor and diversity scholar at the university, Dr. Avery Tompkins, commented on the post calling Sandmann’s “public behavior and rhetoric atrocious and uninformed” and saying he would closely monitor Sandmann at the school.
“We can’t not admit academically qualified students due to their political and personal views. If he ends up in my Intro class, fine. He might learn something that is actually based on research and evidence,” he said.
Tompkins said Sandmann is part of organizations with “anti-intellectualist views” and would likely “view me as part of some liberal brainwashing machine, but signing up for Transy and my class means he is required to learn that information, even if he disagrees.”
The professor continued: “If he were to cause problems by being disruptive, trolling, or engaging in unethical behavior of any kind, I would immediately document it (just like I would for any student doing the same thing)…and he would just be putting himself in a position for me to file a conduct report.”
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