Judy Linehan
Dear Dr. Bennie McMorris,
It is confounding to learn a University advertising it “has continually sought to instill in its students the precepts of efficiency, character and service to society-standards that continue to remain both timeless and relevant” is behaving so shabbily toward a group of students under this mantle. Hostile scrutiny, curtailed rights, & threats of expulsion tell quite a different story when aimed at Hampton University students putting a spotlight on problems such as the massive urban renewal in New Orleans, HIV and AIDS, homophopia, the crisis in Sudan, and the War in Iraq.
These students seeking to educate and inform on human rights issues November 2, 2005 stand in a proud & timeless tradition and honor the best that is in each one of us, the struggle for justice and service to our world. They deserve emulation – not punishment.
The choice is clear: drop all charges & attempts to intimidate the students, revise your policies regarding student demonstrations to reflect your heritage and mission statement, or rewrite the school’s public relations messages to accurately portray the regressive policies and attitudes currently in evidence.
Kind regards,
Judy Linehan, Military Families Speak Out – Pacific Northwest