College Republicans

Burning of Student‘s Flag Praised

CHAPEL HILL — On Oct. 6, UNC-Chapel Hill student Richard Bean heard a commotion. At first, Bean thought a fight had broken out, later discovering that Kevin Sellers, a 40-year-old homeless man, had taken an American flag owned by Bean and set it ablaze while criticizing the war in Iraq. Afterwards, Bean and his fellow College Republicans were criticized in The Daily Tar Heel, in opinion columnist’s Matt Compton’s words, for “watch[ing] a man go to jail” and “forfeit his right to vote” when Sellers burned Bean’s flag. Criticizing the Republicans for their fondness for the American flag, Compton cheered Sellers for saying what people “needed to hear.”

Shannon Blosser

News

UNC derecognizes Christian group

RALEIGH—For the second time in as many years, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill stands accused of discrimination against a Christian student group. In December 2002, UNC-CH threatened to withdraw official recognition and benefits from the student group InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and other Christian student organizations, based upon the groups’ desire that their leadership adhere to the group’s religious beliefs, which UNC-CH argued ran afoul of its policy of nondiscrimination. National public outcry and the threat of a lawsuit prompted Chancellor James Moeser to issue a request to his staff “to allow IVCF to continue to operate as an officially recognized student organization.”

Jon Sanders

News

UNC-CH Reverts to Old Approach

RALEIGH — For the second time in as many years, UNC-Chapel Hill stands accused of discrimination against a Christian group. In December 2002, UNC-CH threatened to withdraw official recognition from the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and other Christian student groups, based upon the latter’s desire that their leadership adhere to the group’s religious beliefs. A national outcry and the threat of a lawsuit prompted a change of policy. But now UNC-CH has derecognized the Alpha Iota Omega Christian fraternity, freezing its university account and web access and keeping it from reserving space on campus or using the activities office to manage privately raised funds.

Jon Sanders

News

Policy, Principle Collides at UNCW

RALEIGH — On Nov. 10, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington derecognized the student group the College Republicans. The issue, according to the university, is discrimination — the university does not want student fees to go to student groups that will not include the university’s own antidiscrimination clauses in its bylaws. The issue, according to the CRs and the conservative group, Students for a Stronger UNCW, is their First Amendment protection of freedom of association as well as the equal protection of the law.

Jon Sanders

Opinion

Are You Paying for This?

Activists met this weekend at Western Carolina University to develop a “women’s agenda” for the 2003 legislative session that includes demands for more tax money. What’s worse, the meeting was sponsored by an arm of the university.

John Hood

Opinion

Harsh critic of UNC-Chapel Hill to speak in Chapel Hill, Raleigh

Leftist-radical-turned-conservative-activist David Horowitz will be speaking in Raleigh and at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Wednesday, Nov. 28. Horowitz, president of the Center for the Study of Popular Culture, has been sharply critical of leftists in higher education prior to and following Sept. 11, and he has been especially critical of UNC-CH.

Jon Sanders