C'est la vie

University of Rhode Island Student Groups Duel Over Free Speech
Earlier this week, a Student Senate committee recommended revoking the College Republicans' recognition as a school-sanctioned group because the group refused to apologize for a satirical advertisement that offered a $100 scholarship to a white, heterosexual, American male.

"We intended that the scholarship was a satirical protest on the [University of Rhode Island's] many scholarships based on race and gender," said Bilodeau, a junior majoring in political science and philosophy. "We never distributed the money. They are punishing our expression."

I graduated from a small, Swedish-Lutheran school, tucked away in a very small town in southern Minnesota, called Gustavus Adolphus College. (named after a Swedish king) There were frats and sororities on campus; but, they were basically small social organizations, they didn't have any connection with national chapters.

I joined Epsilon Pi Alpha, the Eppies, which was basically established decades prior as a frat for all the pre-seminary majors. (we didn't live up to the tradition) One of our frat brothers was a black guy from Massachussetts. Garnett was the only minority guy in our frat, though the campus was pretty diverse, with a lot of international students as well.

I remember asking Garnett one day how the heck he got to a small Swedish-Lutheran college in southern MN from Massachussetts. He told me that one day in high school he was approached by a recruiter, and they offered him a free ride. He just laughed and said he decided what the hay; that's how he got there.

This school didn't even offer scholarships to athletes; but evidently minorities got a free ride for no reason whatsoever, even if they didn't apply. Interesting huh. I don't blame Garnett, he was a smart guy who got a good education. I got an education, but I had to pay it off myself and it took years.