Another (lack of) free speech story on a college campus

This time it's Warren Community College in Washington, New Jersey. "The Bald Chick" at Freedom Folks has the story of English professor John Daly:

Here's an excerpt of an e-mail Daly sent to student Rebecca Beach.

"I will continue to expose your right-wing, anti-people politics until groups like your won't dare show their face on a college campus."

In the private sector, Rebecca Beach would be called a "paying customer." Jerks like Professor Daly wouldn't last a week working at a restaurant or shoe store.

What got Daly so upset? Rebecca sent an e-mail to the Warren faculty announcing a campus visit of Lt. Colonel Scott Rutter.

Luckily for Ms. Beach (and other students to the right of Noam Chomsky), Warren Community College is a taxpayer funded institution, so Professor Daly is feeling some pressure from the administration there.

From the front page of Warren Community College's web site:

Warren County Community College is a "students first" college where learning without limits is always the main goal. We maintain a mission of building a community of learners through accessible, quality learning opportunities designed to meet personal aspirations for all students.

It has been brought to the administration's attention that a part-time instructor, Mr. John Daly, speaking for himself and using his personal email, sent a message to a student representing the Young Americans for Freedom in response to a personal email from her requesting him to announce an upcoming event on the campus. Mr Daly responded to her alone, and expressed his own personal views regarding his beliefs about this group.

The viewpoints of this professor in no way depict the views of Warren County Community College, its administration, or the Board of Trustees. The College does however support the constitution, the first amendment, and the right to free speech.

Additionally, Mr. Daly's message was sent as a one-to-one message, via e-mail, to one person, and not to the college community. Finally, the College is viewing this message as a personnel issue and will be addressing it according to the policies and procedures of the College.

Dr. Austin, college president stated, "I firmly believe every employee and student has first amendment rights, no matter how repugnant I personally find Mr. Daly's statements. Our attorneys have advised us of our obligation to follow state laws, board policies, and college due process in regards to any personnel matter. We are now investigating this matter further."

Thank God for the new media. Ten years ago, there would've been no repercussions for Professor Daly.

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