WSU College Republicans Statement on Anti-Immigration Fliers

This letter was sent to Mike Tate, Vice President for Equity and Diversity, Richard King, Chair, Comparative Ethnic Studies Department, Ed Weber, Director, Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service, ASWSU, and the Office of Multicultural Affairs:

To whom it may concern,

The College Republicans were pleased to attend the forum organized by the Foley Institute. It has however come to the attention of the Club that certain individuals were handing out flyers at the entrance to the auditorium which were political in nature. We would like to make it clear that no one from the club participated in the creation, printing or distribution of these flyers nor did anyone in the Club have prior knowledge that it would take place. As an Organization we are committed to increasing political awareness and improving the level of debate on our campus however we believe that this must be done respectfully. To intrude upon an event that was thoughtfully prepared by the Foley Institute in association with other University groups was inappropriate.

This being said it was equally absurd that many in attendance chose, without evidence, to condemn the College Republicans for events in which we did not take part. It was ill-mannered and indicative of how private political views can cause people to leap to the conclusion that satisfies their prejudices. In the future we would hope that incidents like this not only don’t happen but that there is a mature response from all parties concerned.

Respectfully,

The College Republicans at WSU

Printing an unsubstantiated allegation made by a political enemy of the College Republicans in the newspaper is what is truly absurd here. Where was the fact checking? Where was the reliability checking on sources? Where was the understanding of underlying motives and dynamics between groups? Where was the impartiality? All sadly missing it seems. Between this and the misquoting of Danny Schanze, it is a major embarrassment for the Daily News.