Christian University taken over by liberal bias?
Most Conservatives know that the public university system is totally overrun by those pandering to bigger government, but who would have guessed that a Christian school would push away a group that was founded in traditional ideals – well.. it’s happened.
According to Fox News, California’s Azusa Pacific University has denied the Young Americans for Freedom from starting a chapter at the school.
The college seemed to take issue with specific language on the foundation’s webiste:
“Are you tired of liberal ideas dominating your campus? Are you tired of liberal and Marxist professors indoctrinating your classmates? Do you want to advance conservatism?
“If you answered yes, then you should start a Young Americans for Freedom chapter. YAF chapters make a difference by boldly advancing freedom and conservatism.
“Radical feminists, big government bureaucrats, fringe environmentalists, race-baiters, Islamo-fascists, and run of the mill leftists are distraught that you would even think about promoting conservative ideas.”
The university is obviously silencing any dissent, quieting disagreement and shutting down any criticism of their known failings. As they are somewhat at the behest of private funding, perhaps the course to take is for students to consider other, more tolerant educational institutions.
YAF is correct and the school is wrong, but YAF may not be fighting the fight the best way – or are they. The group would have been but a small outcry in the dark corner of a single school. Now, perhaps, they can become the rallying cry of the thinking young. Those who don’t just want a rubber stamp, but want a real education that doesn’t result in half of them unable to get jobs. Some of them may actually decide that liberal-led education leads to an unthinking and unproductive populace.
The group was denied status not on the basis of any rule, but because of the opinion of the leadership of the school. Obviously, Azusa parents and students need to re-think where they are spending their education dollars.
There is no way a Christian school in rational area of the United States could have made the same decision. California is influencing even Christian schools to adopt poor ideas and ideals.
There are a not of baseless editorial comments in this article and outright inaccuracies. First, Young Americans for Freedom did not try to start a chapter at APU. It was Young America’s Foundation. If you can’t even get the basic facts correct, then no one should even begin to listen to your comments about the event. You clearly have no idea what happened.
Conservative groups exist at APU, but YAF was denied because the way they deal with differences of opinion does not meet the university’s stated Christian values. You present no evidence that APU has been influenced by California, nor any evidence that APU students cannot think rationally and critically. You have made the leap from one group being denied a relationship to a private university equalling the conclusion that it must be a bad education. Many other groups have been denied, including liberal and progressive ones, for the same reason. APU has been very consistent its decision making when affiliating with outside groups in ways that have nothing to do with politics and have more to do with religious beliefs.
APU’s position is stated very clearly here:
https://www.apu.edu/media/news/mediaalert/19411/
My bad — YAF has another YAF in it — Young Americans for Freedom. So the fact is correct. But it would be nice to see some more balanced reporting of what happened instead of jumping to conclusions that have no relationship to a private university making decisions about who it will affiliate with based upon its institutional values.