Siena College Professor Jennifer McErlean sent an email to alumnus, detailing her dislike and animosity towards current students with conservative political views. In her lengthy text, she complains about dealing with conservative students and details her plans to disrupt and protest a coming free speech event on campus. Her reason? She feels Turning Point USA (the event organizers) and conservative groups like it are “evil”. She also revealed she quit the colleges group for Civil Discourse, stating that working with conservative young people made her “miserable”.
While the college did not have any response to the complaints against conservative students or the idea of protesting fee speech, they did get involved when one of those lambasted conservative students shared the professor’s email. When Political Science major Zach Butler printed the email and posted 600 copies on campus, the college did notice and take action.
The college junior posted the copies of the printed email so that others could see the way that the professor felt about some of her students – those young conservatives that she was charged with grading and treating fairly. Citing the teacher’s bias, Butler said he was bothered by the lack of response and the overall hostility displayed towards students who did not agree with Liberal teachers.
A Breach of “Posting Policy”
Instead of reprimanding the teacher for bias or for planning to disrupt student free speech events, the college chose to reprimand Zack Butler, claiming he was violating the schools posting policy. The reprimand from the college is detailed in a “Notice of Charges” and stated that among other things, the student impacted the “health, welfare and/or safety” of the community and damaged the “name and/or reputation of the college”.
The email was shared by others and reported to college officials, who did not respond to the teacher’s blatant prejudice towards the conservative young adults she was charged with teaching and nurturing. When the college refused to address the issue, Butler took action.
“So in order to keep the dialogue going, I took it upon myself—with the help of a friend—to post 600 copies of that email all over campus,” Butler said, speaking with Campus Reform. Butler and a friend posted a total of 600 flyers on the night of March 22.
Butler does admit that his posting of the professor’s biased email did violate school policy, but he told the College Fix that he was bothered by the charges. The reason he posted the emails in the first place was because the school failed to address the issue or respond to complaints. The ongoing hostility to conservative students was also a contributing factor.
“As a conservative student, I was bothered not only by the email but also the response, or lack thereof, by the administration and felt something had to be done,” Butler wrote in a recent Facebook post.
“I could not imagine how my conduct of posting flyers with an email that was already made publicly available around campus adversely affected the school and local community.” Butler said, speaking about the attention his flyers received as compared to the actual prejudice displayed by the professor, who is in a position of authority and power over the students.
“I also thought it was ironic that they thought my posting of the flyers was more damaging to the reputation of the institution than the content of the email itself,” he added.
Suspension or Expulsion?
It is Butler, not the teacher, who faces potential suspension or expulsion. The college administration is still deciding what to do. Other students across the country have come to Butler’s defense. An essay written by college student Alex Cucciniello detailed the bias that is regularly experienced by students who do not share the same views as teachers and professors. Citing intolerant administrations and educators and the hostile environment, his essay defends Butler and points out the hypocrisy of the college’s actions.
That free speech event that had the professor so upset is titled “Let Freedom Ring” and proceeded on April 15, 2018 as planned. Speakers from Project Veritas, the NRA and other conservative groups were in attendance as scheduled.
~ Conservative Zone
Fire the P.O.S. immediately. This is not education by any means.
I find it both sad, and amusing, that this is STILL going on on campus. I started college in the fall of ’66, Hippies Everywhere, in a University known for its Science and Technology, with enough humanities to qualify for a degree, it seemed that there were Hippies everywhere you looked. (We did find that a fair number of them came from one of the other State Schools that were — Liberal arts only, just to cause trouble.) Several were tossed off campus by both Police and our Wrestlers.
How did this guy get a professorship? First off, he knows very little, if anything, about history. It has always been the democrats who are evil, clear back to the days of the Civil War, when the KKK was democrat and the democrats did not want to give the blacks citizenship, plus a lot more and still today.
Ronald-
Please tell me you’re not a student at the college in question or any college other than one of those far right republican places. Your lack of knowledge of US history is pathetic. Look up Dixiecrats. Many racist Americans became Democrats or Dixiecrats during the Civil War and up to the passing of the Civil Rights Acts when those racists returned to the Republican Party. Strom Thurmond the rapist who probably died 2 years before the Republicans agreed to bury him is the best example but there were a number of Demopublicans who did their best to destroy our country and they’re still at it.
Who’s history is lacking? Your lame attempts to divert the blame for the Democrats wanting to keep slavery, Dred Scott (votes: Dems 7, Republicans 2), the KKK, Jim Crow, voting AGAINST the Civil Rights Act of 1958, LBJ’s Great Society and his quote that lives in infamy, is so pathetic.
Not working except in government schools. As soon as someone gets away from the propaganda machine – well, you Dimms just look more like the liars you are every day.
Right on Brother! I can spot a Liberal POS from a mile away, and Ronald you are one. Pathetic back at you.
The academic community, in general, is a joke. Faculty, for the most part, have never experienced the ‘real world’ and are sheltered withn like (closed) minded thought police of political correctness. Can’t imagine spending money to send a child to these morons to be educated,
She is the one who is evil! Either that or she is an idiot no matter how much education she has.
Education got lost somewhere in the halls of “higher learning”…..my favourite term…”Learned idiots”….think on it…lol
I consider all people that are not for FREE SPEACK as being ANTI-AMERICAN AND BEING SOCIALIST. They want to take away our GOD GIVEN RIGHTS so they can RULOVER US. BETTER BEING AMERICAN THAN A SOCIALIST.
Earl- hope you’re not a student. You sound very low IQ to me. It is not your god given right to have everyone agree with you.
You are not an American by any measure except for residence. Sad.
His heart is in the right place…Think Voltaire would agree…
Oh boy!! we have another “I’m so intelligent libtard..I read a quote recently from Stephen Hawkings when he said “People who brag about their intelligents are losers”. Yes, simple and to the point.You fucking libs are all clones of one another you all sound exactly the same, we know your playbook bye heart so we know what you are going to say next before it comes out of your fly trap..Indoctrinated fools. You people get what you deserve,your one way socialist
street won’t happen in this country idiot..why do you think Trump won? Americans are sick and real tired of you vile creatures and your “if you don’t think like us then you are racist,bigot,homaphobe.nazi,Blah de BLAH blah Whoopi Goldberg said and I quote “NRA members are all NAZIS!” ..really? What a joke you people are.
The college policies are wrong and not taking action against the professor for bias opinions should be shut down and if they are receiving any of my tax dollars from Washington D C it should STOP now.
Conservatives must push back to those in power, educators, politicians, whomever wants to limit conservative opinion and beliefs. The left has had their biased agenda for way too long. They need to experience a taste of their own medicine for a change.
Jerry you are 100% correct, but how can we do that? Colleges are not like K-12 schools, which we as tax payers do have some say by not passing schools tax levy’s. The only way is to contact our state leaders, Governors and state legislators and hope they listen, L.O.L.
This seems to be a grwoing trend among colleges. The alumni who may be conservative should definitely show their distaste in their contributions or lack of. Even the liberal alumni should speak out because this violates fre speech and she is an authority figure who is supposed to teach and be open to all points of view in order to provide a “think for yourself” education and not to be a sheeple.
Why are our educational institutions demonstrating such bias and socialistic ideology? I am a retired teacher who enjoyed encouraging dialog to consider the many facets of an issue—not just one! There seems to be no open-mindedness, anymore! God help us! He is the only one who can although we MUST speak up in defense of our freedom to speak (and think) before we are totally silenced.
Right now there is a big ‘furore’ over the supposed ‘unethical’ handling of “our” data by the various social media…..smoke and mirrors really…they are actually working diligently to gain complete control of that ‘medium’ as they have the mainstream media…”1984″…the concept of the “Ministry of Truth” is being implemented…
Fire the POS professor for subversion, treason against the first amendment and for being ONE OF THE LIBERAL SOCIALIST “ELITES” THAT ARE SUBVERTING OUR RIGHTS AS STATED UNDER THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
WE NEED TEACHERS NOT LIBERAL BRAIN WASHERS.
That is an excellent idea, but as you know, MOST are hired because they ARE “liberals” and “trained indoctrinators” HIRED to poison the minds of all gullible “students” to the COMMUNIST way of thinking.
Wow.
After Amendment II dies, the others fall like dominoes.
Is this the private Catholic College in New York? This is absolutely appalling that a Catholic College would support an evil woman like this “professor” who obviously does not appreciate the diversity of God’s creations. It’s also abhorrent that rather than shining a light on the truth – they are seeking to punish the honest man that sought a response to the spewing of this hatred. It is no surprise that this college is situated in New York.
I need to add that my daughter’s high school social studies teacher recently told her that Communism was the best system of government if administered correctly????? Wow! Our rights are given to us by a Creator – not the government. When the government dishes out your rights – they will take them away if you don’t toe the line. It is truly frightening the indoctrination our children are receiving. Healthcare a right? gone – if you don’t think like me. Welfare a right? gone – if you don’t vote the way I want you to.
From the comments from the Professor it is clear that she cannot be trusted to give her students the grades that they should get and if she disrupts the meetings and demonstrations she should be in violations against college policies and if not against federal laws protecting their rights under the constitution
If students that have “conservative views” make her miserable, perhaps she needs to find a different line of work. preferably in a COMMUNIST country where HER ‘views’ will be ‘welcome.
I wouldn’t want her teaching my kids, she should be fired !
Mr. Butler, as per my feelings, Jennifer McErleang Professor at Siena College, is suffering from chronic ‘Cranial Anal Inversion’. You now know that you just can’t cure ‘STUPID’.
Every student who makes their life decisions should leave this school if the school doesn’t pink slip this biased so-called professor. This cotton picking person is a disgrace to the teaching profession. And the college is dead wrong in its actions against the student or students. Boycott the school common sense folks..
Siena is supposed to be a Catholic college. The administration took the side of the professor who, by her own admission, dislikes conservatives. So once again, a liberal nut-job trumps conservatives. In a so-called Catholic college. I graduated from a Catholic college and stopped donating because the administrators started behaving towards conservatives as they are doing in Siena. Hit them where it hurts.
“Freedom of Speech,” hmmmm…isn’t that in the Constitution? I don’t remember it saying it was only for Liberal’s. If what he posted wasn’t a lie…how is violating anything? Isn’t it within his freedom’s to share? Absolutely ridiculous.
Anybody got that professor’s (intolerant indoctrinator’s) email address and same for the college? I would like to let them know how I feel about this crap!!
This shows me the true side of the democratic party. They love to strut around & brag about how tolerant & inclusive they are to the opinions of others. They claim to support free speech for all. They do as long as it agrees with their agenda, & their narrative. They make me sick, they cannot stand for anyone who is a conservative to express their opinion on anything. I am glad this essay, written by the college student Alex Cucciniello, defends Butler & points out the hypocrisy of the college powers that be, that cannot & will not grant the same freedom of speech to But ler as to the liberal,marxist/socialist point of view. I am glad to see some push-back to these bullies. It is time “the other point of view” be presented too. You go Butler. I hope you wind up suing the pants off this professor & Sienna College.
Our schools, from kindergarten to college, are leftist propaganda stations,
brainwashing our children to be Socialists and Communists.
Are we not a Democracy? No, we are NOT a Democracy. Too many socialists, such as this professor, herself the outcome of propaganda brain washing, believe the only way is the socialist way. After watching a Gestapo officer shoot two of my parents servants during WWII in France (I was three years old at the time) I realized how scared and afraid I was. But, it also pissed me off. I bit the bastard on the leg and started cussing at him in French. I feel now at 76 I am beginning to experience this all over again. I wouldn’t send a dead dog to this school. They are more communist than socialist. Shame on this behavior from a so called educator.
The double standard of liberal privilege must come to an end and stop treating conservatives as second class citizens. Liberals must Stop the Hating of conservatives
The more education any of these college professors has only contributes to their stupidity and lack of common sense! We must first take control of our universities and send all of these nitwil prof’s to reeducation camps where we can either straighten them out or forget about letting them out.
Conservative Zone is exercising it’s free speech right by using a misleading, even false header to this story (something I’ve noticed a number of times). Nothing in the text of this article indicates that the professor said that “all” conservatives are evil.
I am a WWII vet who went to college on the GI Bill. I recall being in a class in about 1947, where the professor was touting the idea expressed in the assigned textbook that the people in poverty needed to be moved up to “average”. I asked how you could move lower income people up without changing the average. I explained that I was an engineering student and understood the math of a bell curve and that if you did what was suggested, then everyone would be average. I was looked at like I had two heads and completely ignored. I got out of that class as quickly as I could. That was my introduction to socialism in higher education. As you can see, this started a long time ago.
I won’t be silenced. I won’t give in. I won’t be told what or how to feel. I won’t be controlled. I will fight to the very end regardless of where that takes me. I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees. Conservatives need to rise up and take back our institutions of higher learning that have been driven into the depths of liberal madness. In the case of most colleges today it appears that the inmates have taken over the asylum.
It’s time to FIGHT, and I mean really fight, or die trying.
CrazyJoe you are so right. I wished that more Conservatives would rise up and take back our institutions of higher learning. I like your statements. They certainly have driven our children into the cesspool of liberal madness. It is time to Fight not just for the colleges but for all institutions which have been brainwashed by the liberal madness and have prevented free speech for all students and all conservative individuals.
The professor, the dean and his administration should all immediately be fired, and the student re-instated with a monetary incentive. Good for you Zach for standing up to injustice. Your injustice is injustice too all.
A high percentage of college students are following a course of studies that will lead to a diploma that is essentially worthless as a route to truly meaningful employment. They will leave school with a staggering loan obligation and slight prospects for well paid job, unless their studies were heavy in math, sciences, and engineering. I have two friends who’s sons graduated high school in the same year. One went through four years of university majoring in political science, and amassing a huge student loan debt in the process, in addition to a considerable family contribution. The other went into a four year apprenticeship for the “care and feeding” of marine engines. He was earning reasonably good money throughout his apprentice ship, and as a journeyman at he end of four years was set to earn a very substantial income, with a choice of jobs and locations. I have held job interviews with college grads with educational back grounds that would seem to make them barely qualified to operate an espresso stand.
Viewpoint discrimination in a college or university is inapproriate. The professor’s description of conservative students
highlights her bias. The publishing of her email aside, this professor in unprofessional, immature and unworthy of
her position. If this type of discrimination were to be done against any other group, there would be no question
as to whether or not the professor should be fired immediately. I’m truly appalled by her admininstration’s
position.
Our colleges have turn to communism.
If a college degree is going to be biased by any one political persuasion then, it is obvious the degree from that institution is worthless. All education must keep to the root subject matter even, political sciences. Colleges need to address all aspects of any subject without injecting personal or institutional agendas to produce a well rounded education with the ability of the students to make personal decisions.
Anderson has it right – – this has been going on for a long, long time. Our “millennials” are complete socialists due to indoctrination by “tenured” college and university faculty!!
Liberals and progressives believe they are incapable of prejudice and stereotyping. I was in many on-line courses with a fellow who constantly denigrated Christians, conservatives, the military, gun owners, etc, etc. He spouted popular MSM stereotypes. He engaged in personal attacks on everyone who did not immediately agree with him “You are just a …” followed by Democrat/progressive talking points and their echoes in the MSM. Instructors refused to admonish him for violating university policy. I said whatever position he took, he should think for himself, instead of repeating stereotypes. I completed my degree, and two years later (2003) he called me at home. (He got my number from an instructor who shared his opinions.) He was confused and hurt.
He worked at a private company with 300 people, where he and the owner’s secretary constantly vented their mutual disgust about the above groups. Then, the secretary started calling him an ‘Eco-terrorist’ because of his SUV, – a popular meme at the time – and many employees stopped associating with him. She sent emails across the company, describing how SUVs were contributing to global warming. In three weeks, “Terrorist” was painted on his windshield several times and twice his tires were slashed. Parking lot security videos had conveniently disappeared. He had the SUV because his two boys were involved in sports and scouts. For years, he drove doctors and nurses to and from work in snow storms, and also gave the secretary and others rides. He couldn’t fathom why they would not acknowledge the good things he did. I said “That’s how stereotypes work, and it’s how you’ve been treating others.” He said it was not fair, and I said “Exactly!” He could not believe his old pals would not listen to him. He just kept repeating it just wasn’t fair and finally hung up.
Remember, Tommy Hill, ignorance can be educated out but there is no medication nor education that can be used to alleviate stupidity. If you want to see an example of “stupidity”, look to the house minority and senate minority leaders and their most boisterous supporters.
All students along with all so called teachers have the freedom of speech. If a wanna be professor can not handle theologies and political views differing form their then they should seek other employment because The Freedom of Speech is more important than some whimsy individuals feelings. The Freedom of speech is to protect all by allowing things not everyone is in agreement with to be discussed and to be debated and any school or Professor disallowing the right of a students speaker, or any visitor from freely speaking their mind should lose there government funding and/or position as a professor. That is not their right. They do not have the right to disallow Constitutional rights be it Free Speech, Freedom of Religion, or any other Constitutional freedom.
Wake Up People of our great country!! This is a tool the left-liberal-progressive-socialist movement uses to spread their destructive agenda. It might be their BEST tool. They are pushing their propaganda from grade school thru college on innocent young minds. You might call this ” brain washing”. We need to demand that our government at least creates an equal playing field and requires that ALL schools teach conservative and liberal principles equally. A well rounded education will give our young people a strong knowledge base to draw from instead of creating mental liberal robots. Is this a conspiracy theory ?Look around, read what is going on in our country. You will find the truth. Call your Congressman AND Senator and demand equal education for our young people. God Bless America!!!