Backlash over Ron Brown hiring has already started

[Lets_Talk]

For people who thought I was making an issue out of nothing with my posts regarding the hiring of Ron Brown, you might want to think again. Here is a link to a Jambar article. Last week, The Jambar received three letters to the editor from a student, SGA representatives and a YSU chair and professor.

I know many of you who post on this site are on the conservative side, with several being 30 or older. I also know that Youngstown, Ohio is not exactly a bastion of equality and inclusion. Having said that, times are changing. The youth of today, even in an area such as Youngstown/Warren are much more open minded and accepting of people. It is only Feb 9th, and already 3 individuals have sent letters to The Jambar in opposition to the hiring of Ron Brown. Two are from students, with one of those being a representative of Student Government. The third is from a professor who is also a department chair. YSU is already having a hard time coming to an agreement on new contracts with Faculty and ACE. It's easy to see how this hire could become yet another sticking point in those negotiations. And, it would not surprise me at all to see ACLU of Ohio intervening in the same way the ACLU did at Nebraska.

http://www.thejambar.com/a-damning-silence-on-ron-brown/
A DAMNING SILENCE ON RON BROWN

Last week, The Jambar received three letters to the editor from a student, SGA representatives and a YSU chair and professor. Yes, you heard that right. The Jambar received three whole letters in a single week and, potentially more revolutionary, all the letters were in reference to the same controversy — gasp. So what exactly has lit a fire under the collective ass of the YSU community? The hiring of Ron Brown as the new YSU assistant coach.

Dwarfing the locker room controversy that surrounded Pelini’s introduction into the university, Ron Brown is known for somewhat neolithic views on the homosexual community and a love of expressing those beliefs publicly; an evangelical Christian who was known to preach to his team. He has also told the Associated Press, “that based on the Bible, homosexuality, the lifestyle of homosexuality, is a sin.” It isn’t exactly surprising that he stirred up some controversy on college campuses.

Though YSU’s athletics department has remained tight-lipped about the whole affair and an official announcement has been made, Ron Brown himself has confirmed his role as the new assistant coach. He is, apparently, currently working on campus.

But this editorial isn’t about denouncing this man’s views and their latent threat to YSU, something the letters to the editor accomplished already, but it is about YSU’s response to the obvious controversy. Or, should we say, their lack of response.

This whole turgid affair is representative of a noxious trend that can be identified out of this incident.

The YSU administration and Board of Trustees’ methodology, in recent memory, has been to act almost entirely unilaterally and with apparent impressive disregard for the opinion of the community.

Despite the letters to the editor, incendiary debates appearing on social media and a recent vote of ‘no confidence’ in the Academic Senate against the provost, we are not going to pretend that the majority of the student body is wracked with indignant rage over this hiring — we aren’t even sure if a majority know about it. It isn’t the number of voices involved in the controversy; it’s about the nature of the controversy. There have been valid concerns of possible discrimination; and, fundamentally, this is a concern that could involve conflicting rights — of free speech and the separation of church and state.

That isn’t a situation where you put your hands over your ears and scream “LALALA” until everyone shuts up and goes home; it isn’t an issue where you let responses and assurances trickle out slowly.

This is the brand of controversy that you tackle head-on. This is the type of controversy where you are happy to answer our calls because you want to assure worried students and professors that there will be no discrimination or state-sponsored evangelizing allowed at your university.

Even if this response was a simple decoy to silence naysayers, at least it is something. Silence is so much worse. It tells concerned parties that the issue is not worth your time, and, by extension, the individual presenting the problem is not worth your time.

And this isn’t an isolated incident. Last year, during the selection process for President Tressel, the Board of Trustees was the only entity represented on the search committee. Though this is not unusual at other universities, it is an odd break from the YSU tradition to include Board members, professors and students on the search committee.

Then, on the same day that the YSU faculty union, YSU-OEA, was to vote on the tentative contract, YSU decided to fire Coach Eric Wolford. Part of Wolford’s contract stipulated that he receive a buyout of $100,000 upon dismissal unless he received a job within the next year. Wolford ended up receiving a job with the 49ers, and the sum of his salary there will reduce the sum of his buyout.

Nonetheless, the faculty knew one thing when he was removed — there was a possibility that YSU was paying $100,000 on athletics in the midst of accusations that YSU was more concerned with athletics than academics. It is pure foolishness to make this decision on the day of an important vote during an extremely contentious faculty negotiation.

No wonder that in every interview with Gabriel Palmer-Fernandez, YSU-OEA’s chief negotiator and a professor at YSU, he says the same thing: YSU is depriving faculty of shared governance of the university. In addition, the total weight of the YSU community’s opinion seems to be diminishing.

If acting unilaterally is going to be the flavor of the next few years, you could at least capitulate to one demand and be more transparent with these decisions. Give us some warning of your intentions so it at least feels like our opinions could potentially have an impact — not just cannon fire after the battle has long been decided for us. Don’t get us wrong, this isn’t really enough, but at least, “no legacy is so rich as honesty.”

We hope that YSU just has an image problem, and they care deeply about the opinion of the YSU community; they remain silent or obstinate only because they have a masterwork plan that we plebeians could simply not understand.

To everyone looking in, though, it sure seems that YSU’s head doesn’t much care about the opinion of the rest of its body.

[penguinpower]

The Jambar shouldn't have written this. Not sure if there is an controversy.  Instead, what they should have written is that everyone has to accept everyone else and just because you don't like someone else's views doesn't mean you don't accept them.  There are multiple angles to this:  Straights that hate Gays, Gays that hate straights and everyone else like Gays that don't mind straights and straights that don't mind gay's.  Because universities are centers of poisonous liberalism you are getting the backlash.  Liberals are accepting as long as you don't disagree with them.

[ysufan0505]

Blah blah.

[Penguin Nation]

It is always ironic that the ones who claim to be the most tolerant are the most intolerant of differing views.

The First Amendment states Coach Brown has the right to stay stupid and misguided things (which they are IMO).  It also states the Jambar the right to write intolerant pseudo-intellectual drivel.

[Lets_Talk]

penguinpower,

The Editor of The Jambar had every right to write this Editorial piece. If you do not like the article, then take it up with the Editor. I'm merely trying to point out that this hiring is already causing controversy, and we are 7 months away from the start of the season, and about 6 months from summer practice.

Ron Brown has a right to believe whatever he wants to believe. What he does not have is a right to use his position as a football coach at YSU to push his version of Christianity, his views on sexual orientation, gender identity, race, age or any of the other areas prohibited in the non-discrimination clause.

I know of MANY coaches at YSU, both past and present that had/have a very strong faith in God. That is not the issue here. The issue is Ron Borwn being so outspoken in his bigoted views, and how that can affect the players on the football team, the student body, fans, alumni, faculty and staff and the entire community.

Also, I did not go searching for this article. I read The Jambar on line from time to time as a way to keep up with what is going on at my Alma Mater. And, if you read the piece, this is about more than just Ron Brown, and his views. This is about systemic problems at YSU that do not appear to be improving at all with Jim Tressel as President. I supported his hiring, and believe he still deserves more time before being deemed fit or unfit for the position. But, his Presidency has not gotten off to a good start, with the inability to finalize a contact with ACE, finalize a contact with Faculty, a decrease in Fall Enrollment, decrease in Winter Enrollment, and questions over the Athletic Dept receiving an INCREASE in funding, while all other departments received funding DECREASES.

The hiring of Brown is just a system of much of what plagues YSU, and this op-ed piece makes that very clear. I do not understand why it is so hard for people to understand that a person with the views of Ron Brown who is as outspoken and brash as he is does not bode well for a PUBLIC UNIVERSITY. Nor does the AD, Tressel or even Pelini not responding to the concerns of people such as myself, those who wrote letters to the editor and others with regards to Ron Brown.

I'm now in a position financially again where I can make small donations to YSU if I choose. As a result of the Ron Brown hiring, and the way concerns have been handled by Tressel, Strollo and Pelini, I will not donate a single cent to YSU or YSU athletics. I'm just a small time donor when I've donated in the past. And, it's easy for those of you that post without using your true identity to bash me. Just consider though that there are other people with the same concerns as myself. Other people who could contribute money to YSU and specifically the Athletic Department. Also remember that the University belongs first and foremost to the current students. I doubt this is the last time this issue will be discussed publicly, and it is to the detriment of the University, the athletic department and the football program to not have any kind of open discussion about Ron Brown with students, faculty, staff, alumni and any person who supports YSU in any way.

[SoupCity]

Lets_Talk, do you know the most wonderful thing about this country?  It's that you have a choice in pretty much EVERYTHING you do (as do those who want to b**** about the guy).  Here they are:  Listen to him OR don't listen to him.  Same thing with donating your money.  2 choices: 1. Donate, 2. Don't donate.  It's your choice.

I personally don't give a sh** whether you, he or anyone else has an axe to grind over someone's lifestyle choice, monetary choice, religious choice or any other choice that exists.  If you don't like it or don't agree with it, then don't be a part of it.  It really is THAT simple!!

[penguinpower]

penguinpower,

The Editor of The Jambar had every right to write this Editorial piece. If you do not like the article, then take it up with the Editor. I'm merely trying to point out that this hiring is already causing controversy, and we are 7 months away from the start of the season, and about 6 months from summer practice.

Ron Brown has a right to believe whatever he wants to believe. What he does not have is a right to use his position as a football coach at YSU to push his version of Christianity, his views on sexual orientation, gender identity, race, age or any of the other areas prohibited in the non-discrimination clause.

I know of MANY coaches at YSU, both past and present that had/have a very strong faith in God. That is not the issue here. The issue is Ron Borwn being so outspoken in his bigoted views, and how that can affect the players on the football team, the student body, fans, alumni, faculty and staff and the entire community.

Also, I did not go searching for this article. I read The Jambar on line from time to time as a way to keep up with what is going on at my Alma Mater. And, if you read the piece, this is about more than just Ron Brown, and his views. This is about systemic problems at YSU that do not appear to be improving at all with Jim Tressel as President. I supported his hiring, and believe he still deserves more time before being deemed fit or unfit for the position. But, his Presidency has not gotten off to a good start, with the inability to finalize a contact with ACE, finalize a contact with Faculty, a decrease in Fall Enrollment, decrease in Winter Enrollment, and questions over the Athletic Dept receiving an INCREASE in funding, while all other departments received funding DECREASES.

The hiring of Brown is just a system of much of what plagues YSU, and this op-ed piece makes that very clear. I do not understand why it is so hard for people to understand that a person with the views of Ron Brown who is as outspoken and brash as he is does not bode well for a PUBLIC UNIVERSITY. Nor does the AD, Tressel or even Pelini not responding to the concerns of people such as myself, those who wrote letters to the editor and others with regards to Ron Brown.

I'm now in a position financially again where I can make small donations to YSU if I choose. As a result of the Ron Brown hiring, and the way concerns have been handled by Tressel, Strollo and Pelini, I will not donate a single cent to YSU or YSU athletics. I'm just a small time donor when I've donated in the past. And, it's easy for those of you that post without using your true identity to bash me. Just consider though that there are other people with the same concerns as myself. Other people who could contribute money to YSU and specifically the Athletic Department. Also remember that the University belongs first and foremost to the current students. I doubt this is the last time this issue will be discussed publicly, and it is to the detriment of the University, the athletic department and the football program to not have any kind of open discussion about Ron Brown with students, faculty, staff, alumni and any person who supports YSU in any way.

This is so blown out of proportion is what I am saying.  I am a scientist and an Engineer and there is no evidence of global warming caused by humans.  None zero.  There isn't enough data and there are too many sources of variation.  I choose not to listen to uneducated people that try to push this garbage on me.  The have no way to test their hypothesis yet expect me to believe them and if I disagree well..............there is hell to pay for me.  I don't want them pushing their ideology in schools either, but they do.  It is a continuous onslaught of nonsense. Does that mean I want to pollute the environment?  No it does not.  You are way too sensitive over this.  I believe that more than 80% of the population are idiots.  How you handle them will help you go a long way.

[HappyPenguin]

Lets_Talk, do you know the most wonderful thing about this country?  It's that you have a choice in pretty much EVERYTHING you do (as do those who want to b**** about the guy).  Here they are:  Listen to him OR don't listen to him.  Same thing with donating your money.  2 choices: 1. Donate, 2. Don't donate.  It's your choice.

I personally don't give a sh** whether you, he or anyone else has an axe to grind over someone's lifestyle choice, monetary choice, religious choice or any other choice that exists.  If you don't like it or don't agree with it, then don't be a part of it.  It really is THAT simple!!

Coach Brown is a representative of the University, like it or not. As such he needs to keep his mouth shut about things not related to football. I can guarantee you everything he says in the media will identify him with YSU.

Unless we want to start running disclaimers for every Jambar editorial, interview, whatever stating that the opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect YSU 

Easier yet...just coach football. I personally don't care what he says, he has the right to look like a moron if he chooses...we all do 

Nowhere in my idiotic statement s does it say I am employed by YSU, so what he and I say carry far different weight and implications. I, and most of you, take it for what it is. Not everyone will, and thats their problem. But do we really need more articles like this Jambar one? Will one on ESPN be helpful?

[IAA Fan]

Yes ...ladadodaday ...for the most part.

The real story here is that YSU is "growing-up" and experiencing growing pains. We never had a coach of such a high stature. Also YSU athletics have really become much more significant in the past few years.

At the same time, for so many years YSU was really a college focusing on business, science and engineering; all people that are traditionally going to realize the need for conservatism. Even Dana, was heavily focused on traditional music (classical and traditional pop {marching band}) ..as the arts go, a more conservative mindset. However, we now have had to expand our academic offerings (for better or worse) to maintain a large and competitive student body. This required us to expand our liberal arts offerings beyond those needed to maintain accreditation in core curriculum. So this will affect much of what happens (i.e.: student elections and student paper editors). My only thought is to encourage students to vote, then you will not have this mindset ...or maybe it will increase? Secondly, a letter from students and/or the editor is not news ..never has been anywhere (except CNN and the Vindy...lol). The same applies to social media ...which we are. We may report something earlier that others, but it is still not "official" until YSU says that it is. It is my site, I may say something, but it is not newsworthy.

As to Brown: if he is truly a man of faith; he will not be detoured by this. If he is truly a man of compassion (as real men of faith are), he will understand that some may not like what he does and respond appropriately on and off the field. I will also point out that many public institutions are faith-based and/or teach the liberal art of religion. I will also point out that you cannot watch a football game, where a player does not first thank some type of God.

So unless coach Brown fails as a coach (deliberately listed first), calls himself a non-football god, or orders a player to say 10 "Our Fathers" and 10 "Hail Mary's"; this is not really much of a story and welcome coach Brown.

As to conservatism and age Lets_Talk: here is a quote to always remember:  "Not to be a socialist at twenty is proof of want of heart; to be one at thirty is proof of want of head."

[guinpen]

For people who thought I was making an issue out of nothing with my posts regarding the hiring of Ron Brown, you might want to think again.

I know many of you who post on this site are on the conservative side, with several being 30 or older. I also know that Youngstown, Ohio is not exactly a bastion of equality and inclusion. Having said that, times are changing. The youth of today, even in an area such as Youngstown/Warren are much more open minded and accepting of people.

First, you are making a mountain out of a mole hill.

Second, by your own words the youth of today are much more open minded and accepting of people. So it should not be a big deal for all of us to be open minded and accepting of Ron Brown.

[Lets_Talk]

Of the people who have replied, it seems the only person that understands is Happy Penguin.

YSU would be wise to give Ron Brown a very, very, very short leash. He is known to be an excellent recruiter and a good coach. I hope it has been made VERY CLEAR to him and to Bo Pelini that Brown was hired to be a FOOTBALL COACH, not an Evangelist. He can do whatever he wishes on his own time, and provided he does not present himself, or is not presented as Ron Brown, assistant football coach at Youngstown State University" when doing public speaking about religion, same sex marriage, discrimination against people based on sexual orientation and gender identity, or other issues of this kind.

1AA Fan, I have no idea what you are talking about by saying Dana School of Music was "conservative", or that YSU was mostly a school teaching fields such as Business, Science and Engineering , and those fields are dominated by people with conservative ideologies? I graduated from YSU College of Business in 1991. I enrolled at YSU in 1986. At the time, many people did not even think the YSU College of Business was accredited, because the school did not have accreditation with AACSB, the highest standard of achievement for a business school. It was not until the late 90's at the earliest that YSU finally received AACSB accreditation. As for Dana School of Music, wow is all I can say to your comments. Just wow. I mean ,it's the arts for crying out loud. You do not find more diversity and a wider range of people from all backgrounds than in the arts, even at YSU. And, this was true when I was in school at YSU from 86-91. Maybe it was not the case in the 70's, but I find that very, very, very hard to believe. Most likely, people just kept things hidden more back then, which is a sad commentary on the way things were during that period of time.

Brown is free to have his beliefs. That is NOT THE ISSUE. Why is this so hard for people to understand? He represents Youngstown State University. And, he has made it clear when at Nebraska that he used his position as football coach to espouse his beliefs, and even try to spread those beliefs to others. He has said in interviews if there was a player on the team who is gay, he would go and try to help that player as they struggle with their sexual orientation. Well, what if the player is not struggling at all with being gay? What if they are fine with being who they are? Why would ther be any need for Brown to go and talk to that player about their sexual orientation?

Same if we are talking about a heterosexual player who is having sex with their girl friend. Brown has admitted he speaks to players he knows are having sex outside of marriage and tells them they are sinning. Who the hell cares? That is HIS PERSONAL BELIEF. Heck, not even all people who are Christian agree with Brown on that issue, nor do all people that are Christian agree with Brown's anit-gay views. He has NO BUSINESS chastising players for having sex with their girlfriend, with the possible exception of him finding out there is abuse taking place in the relationship.  I also do not see an issue with coach's reminding a player, or team as a whole, about the importance of practicing safe sex, taking responsibility for their actions if sexually active, and being man enough to help raise a child if they father a child? Otherwise, unless a player goes to a coach with a question or questions about what to do in regards to situations that arise in regards to dating, then there is NO REASON for a coach to be preaching to a kid about this topic. Same with drinking alcohol, provided the kid is 21 and not violating any school or team rules on the use of alcohol. Especially when it is not football season.

When it comes to players that are Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Atheist, or even of Christian denominations that Brown mat consider to not actually be Christian, It is NOT his job as a football coach to try and "save" these players or ANYONE by getting them to accept the type of Christianity he practices. It honestly would not surprise me if Ron Brown consider's people who are Catholic to not be "saved". I have friends, well, former friends, that believe this to be true. Most of these are former Catholic's, who fell away, or had some kind of moment they deem as a "coming to Jesus moment", and then feel a need to save all of their family and friends who are still Catholic. Something tells me there are alot more Catholics in Youngstown/Warren than in Lincoln, NE

If Ron Brown wants to coach football AND use his position as a coach to evangelize and try to "save" people, then he ought to coach at a Christian College or at a Christian High School.

And, let me ask this question. What if Ron Brown was a devout Muslim instead of a devout Christian? And, what if he used his position as football coach to try and convert people to Islam? To spread the teachings of The Prophet Muhammad? How would that play in Youngstown and NE Ohio? My guess is not well at all, and my guess is it would not play well with people saying this issue is being blown out of proportion.

Ron Brown while at Nebraska, went to a meeting on an ANTI-DISCRIMINATION ordinance and spoke in opposition. When doing so, he gave his address as the football stadium at The University of Nebraska. That can easily be inferred that he was representing the University, or at the very least the football program with his views.

As a person who is both transgender and a lesbian, it saddens me that people such as Browen believe I am in some way helping cause the destruction of the United States. He would also lead people to believe that my marriage is in some way less valuable and less of a marriage than that of a heterosexual couple. My wife is an outstanding Elementary School teacher. She wears her wedding band. The Principal and a few teaches know we are married. Students in her class know she is married. However, she does NOT do anything that other teachers who are married do not do when at work. She will just mention her wife instead of her husband if having a discussion with another person, and mentioning me is pertinent to the conversation. A person such as Ron Brown would wish that we could not even be married, let alone her be able to talk about me openly in the same way people who are "straight" talk about their spouses and/or people they are dating. And, the same applies for me when speaking about my wife.

Ron Brown espouses bigotry, discrimination and intolerance, and does so while using his platform as an employee at a PUBLIC UNIVERSITY!! That is the problem I have with Ron Brown, not his beliefs. Again, he can believe whatever he wishes to believe. But he is NOT going to be working at YSU as an evangelist, youth pastor or anything of that nature. He is going to, or is, employed as a FOOTBALL COACH.

Coach Slocum has a very strong faith in God. So does Jim Tressel, Ron Stoops Jr and likely several others. Both Coach "D" and Dan Peters had/have a strong faith in God. I used to see them at Mass on occasion at St. Columba Cathedral. I would also see them on occasion at Mass in Kilcawley on days such as Ash Wednesday. None of these people made the kinds of comments publicly that Ron Brown makes, and fror which Brown sees no reason to apologize. They may well have used their faith in God to help shape the way they coached and dealt with people, but that did not mean making comments that can be deemed bigoted and/or discriminatory, or even creating an environment in which this would be allowed or tolerated.So, does this mean that Ron Brown is a "better man of faith" than the coaches I mentioned?

Jim Tressel did an interview in 2010 with Out Sports,  a magazine that bills itself as “a lifestyle and advocacy publication” for the local gay community is enough. Here was Tressel's answer about gay athlete's and sports and when asked how he would deal with a player who was openly gay:

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=dw-tressel030810
..."Why are there so few openly gay athletes, the magazine asked Tressel.

...“What we have, quite often, with our athletes, and with a number of young people in any sport, is that from the time they were 6 or 7 years old, their identity has been through sports,” Tressel wrote back. “You’re the tallest, you’re the fastest, you’re the best player. All their feedback has come in terms of their role as a player, and they are often hesitant to go beyond that narrow role.

“An opportunity and a real challenge we have when they get to college is to get them to see themselves with a broader lens. … We want our guys to define themselves in terms of who they are and not simply ‘what they do’ with a certain block of their time. …

“The greatest achievement we can have as coaches is that a young man leaves us with a concept of who he is, what he wants from life, and what he can share with others – someone who is ‘comfortable in his own skin,’ and that identity can go in a number of directions.”

What would the reaction be to an openly gay Buckeye player, he was asked.

“One, we are a family. If you haven’t learned from your family at home that people have differences and those strengthen the whole, then you are hopefully going to learn it as part of the Ohio State football family,” Tressel wrote.

“Two, every part of our team is important and every role has value – no job is too small and no person is irrelevant – that’s a great lesson that transcends into society. When I think of the diversity we’ve had on our team the past few years, it goes way beyond just a racial, sexual or ethnic mix. We’ve had players who had different religions, players who came from different economic backgrounds, players who are parents, who are spouses, who are caring for ailing parents, who are wheelchair bound, who are battling cancer, and on and on.

“Whatever a young man feels called to express, I hope we will help him do it in a supportive environment. Everybody is important, and maturity is learning to find and appreciate those differences in others.”"...

Now, compare this to Ron Brown, who believes that HIS version of Christianity is the ONE AND ONLY WAY. Who believes that people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender are abominations, and who need to be "cured" of their affliction. Trying to "cure" a person who is LGBT does NOT make said person comfortable in their own skin. Trust me, I know that from life experience. Yet, Ron Brown makes no bones about the fact he would try to cure or fix a player who is gay.

[guinpen]

Couple of final points by me on this topic,

There is something to be said for brevity.

How about we treat the players as adults and trust that they are mature enough to deal with him, and what he may or may not say, as they should.

[IAA Fan]

Lets_Talk, in the time period that you were talking about (looks like I am 3or4-years your senior) YSU was even more conservative then at almost any post-1950 era. Come on, the school was commuter-based, with far more land dedicated to parking than all sports and academic facilities combined. Lot's of family men trying to get a raise at work or hoping to get out. Lot's of post war era people getting the GI bill.  Just what % of these people are socially liberal? How about .0000000001% (which is probably an over-estimate). (no matter what Cimino, Kubrick, or Coppola would have you believe ...most military men are quite conservative).

As to Dana, the school was quite different back then. Students dreamed of performing in the Cleveland Orchestra ...not at the Cleveland tryouts for "American Idol" or "Voice". I remember when the president agreed to initially fund the alternative school they nicknamed "FAME", just to keep that kind out of Dana.  I had a second major in Speech, Communications & Theater (damn you WKRP) and also played horn in YSU Jazz-III; so I roamed the halls of Dana most-every day. I am well-aware of "the arts", but believe me; Dana was such a completely different animal back then.

Today, we (YSU) have built over those parking lots (unfortunately maybe too many of them), we have become far more of a destination campus which attracts a much more diverse student population. Title-IX has reshaped our student population more than anyone will ever know. It is just a whole new world. That world holds good and bad ....far more bad than I am used to from the late 70's through the 80's. When I was once one, it used to be that naivety & artlessness caused fear in a young man ...now it is artfulness and sophistication. That is why we like our football to be smash-mouth

[go guins]

 This whole thing has me at a loss.  Ron Brown should be on a short leash because??  I understand he is outspoken, but let's be honest, Muslims certainly wear their religious beliefs "on their sleeve."  Literally, you can see it from a 1/2 mile away.  And isn't free speech part of what we believe and teach at YSU? 
If we are going to be "all inclusive" and everybody's opinion is valuable and in fact needed.  How do we justify our bias against bigots?  If Muslims are welcome, gays welcome, transgenders welcome why aren't fundamentalist Christians and bigots welcome? 

[go guins]

Let's_Talk
“Whatever a young man feels called to express, I hope we will help him do it in a supportive environment. Everybody is important, and maturity is learning to find and appreciate those differences in others.”"...

What about homophobes?  Don't we want to welcome them?  Appreciate their contributions?  Welcome their input?  If we want to be “all-inclusive” for only those who agree with us isn’t exactly being inclusive, now is it?