Kyle Rausch responds to Paul Leidig

by Liberty and Power

Kyle Rausch, the ousted head of the College Republicans at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, has responded to Professor Paul Leidig's comments. Rausch was removed from his position after he organized an affirmative action bake sale. Leidig, his faculty advisor and the chair of the Ottawa County GOP, supported the ouster.

Rausch says, in part:

Paul Leidig and the local Republicans who support him have undermined the cause of free speech at GVSU in the hopes of pandering to certain social groups which may find it offensive. I resigned because I would not be associated with a group willing to so quickly apologize for something that was not wrong.
If anyone has any questions or comments, you can reach me at rauschk@student.gvsu.edu. It would be greatly appreciated if everyone could write a letter to the state and local parties along with the university. Thank you.

For Leidig's comments and more background on the case, see here and here .

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Steve Maltronovech - 6/20/2010

If Rausch wants to cry victim to Affirmative Action he can do so but his actions have to accurately represent the policy he is protesting. A bake sale leaves so much room for misunderstanding it tweaks the issue away from freedom of speech. The action is no longer one of free protest, but distribution of propaganda with effects that extend beyond his goal. When making such a vauge protest, Rausch is no longer stating that a policy treats him unfairly. Rather, his method affirms stereotypes about minority groups and that secondary action is irresponsible.

Rausch should have also considered the mezzo, perhaps macro, effects and the policies to which he was obligated. It appears he tried to bond with the surrounding West Michigan community that is actually quite prejudiced. However, he failed to respect his contractual obligations with the school agreed to upon admission. The school is bound by federal policy and will react accordingly. He could have made the same point in downtown Grand Rapids on lets say, the corner Division and Wealthy, maybe even outside on the main road to his campus, without the same problem.

It's a little disappointing to see that Rausch does not understand that he may one day benefit from Affirmative Action policies. If he experiences an injury that makes him a little slow, a severed limb, terrible skin disease that makes others back away, or even old age. The policy extends well beyond race and his minority status is coming. One the status hits him, watch his attitude change. I respect his right to protest. However, I wish he would do so a little more responsibly and gain a better understanding of the policy.