Hamline University Student Suspended

According to the May 9, 2007 City Pages of Minneapolis/St. Paul Troy Scheffler, who holds a gun permit in Minnesota, was placed on interim suspension, and:

"to be conisdered for readmission to Hamline he would have to pay for a psychological evaluation and undergo any treatment deemed necessary."

Because of his suspension, Mr. Scheffler got a low grade in his human resource management class.

According to the article:

"Scheffler has tried to get answers from the university, to no avail. On April 25, he called President Hanson's office to request a meeting, but when he told the secretary his name, she claimed the computer system had crashed and she couldn't access the president's schedule. She promised to call Mr. Scheffler back, but more than a week later, he's still waiting."

Mr. Scheffler is very much a product of a left-wing education, first in his weak writing skills and second in his fixation on identity politics. One can see in this incident the bias in higher education. On the one hand, endless hate-filled ranting about group "rights", with "groups" narrowly and intolerantily defined in terms of "women", "gay", "black", "Jewish", "Hispanic",etc. . On the other, when Mr. Scheffler claims a similar group right as "white" he is thrown out of school. The education system can't stand a mirror. Identity politics is a polite name for bigotry. The American education system, with its focus on identity politics, is the greatest advocate of bigotry in America today.

Upon review of Mr. Scheffler's e-mails below, I am, on the one hand, dismayed that he has progressed to the master's degree level without having mastered some aspects of basic grammar. In describing his course work as a "let down", Mr. Scheffler may sense that he has not progressed with respect to basic skills. On the other hand, although I find some of his views to be distasteful (particularly with respect to race), I do not think that suspension is the right way to handle distasteful e-mails that express intolerant views. A better approach would have been to open debate on the points that Mr. Scheffler raises, inviting others with different views to respond in a public forum.

Where are the writing standards? I teach human resource management every semester and carefully edit the students' writing, much of which is as bad as or worse than Mr. Scheffler's. I encourage troubled writers to attend remedial sessions. I give multiple writing assignments. But I cannot teach college students to write, in part becaue I do not teach writing. I teach business administration.

I empathize with Mr. Scheffler. Many students have pursued expensive and time consuming educational programs but still lack basic skills. Diane Ravitch's book Left Back explains the underlying problem as a lack of focus on the basics; a lack of interest in liberal education; and misapplication of the ideas of progressive education.

The following are the e-mails, copied from the article, that resulted in Mr. Scheffler's suspension:

>"From: Tough Guy Scheffler
To: David Stern
Subject: I dont think the students need the counseling...
Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2007 10:54 PM

Considering this university also pushes "diversity" initiatives like VA Tech, maybe its "leadership" will reconsider its ban on conceal carry law abiding gun owners... Ironically, according to a few VA Tech forums, there are plenty of students complaining that this wouldnt have happened if the school wouldnt have banned their permits a few months ago...

I just dont understand why leftists dont understand that criminals dont care about laws; that is why they're criminals... Maybe this school will reconsider its repression of law abiding citizens rights.

Considering that accoriding to the university president that there were recently serious "hate crimes" that were committed in the womens bathrooms; there may be people on the edge ready to snap. I cant say I blame them, I myself am tired of having to pay my own extremely overpriced tuition to make up for minorities not paying theirs. On top of that, I am sick of seeing them held to a different standard than the white students (Of course its a lower and more lenient standard).

Oh by the way, when is your "diversity" department going to include European ancestry?

Respectfully,
Troy Scheffler

> "Tough Guy Scheffler" >>> 4/19/2007 10:15 PM >>>

I was wondering why a swastika painted by some frustrated ladies in their bathroom turned somehow into red flags of a hate crime but you dont consider an asian guy admittedly killing people because he hated them not hate motivated...

Anyhow, in response to your most recent email concerning a vigil for people most likely nobody in the school knows; I would like to comment on your claims of upped "security". I attend a MPLS cohort so I dont see any security in the area ever. Infact it seems the dirty bums on the street are the only ones patrolling anything. I would suggest if you are truley concerned about student security, you lift a ridiculous conceal carry campus ban and let the students worry about their own "security". VA Tech just recently passed their conceal carry permit ban; we can all see how well that worked for criminal minds.

Ironically, many students from VA Tech are in online forums which I can direct you to complaining that 32 people wouldnt have died in the students rights were not infringed by banning their legal right to carry their arms on their person. They take the argument that they would have shot the guy before he was able to massacre that many people; I on the other hand would argue that the guy wouldnt have even attempted this atrocity not only if we didnt pay for everybody and their mother to come here for free to soak up tuition funds but also that by knowing law abiding citizens carried weapons to defend themselves that criminals wouldnt be so bold to commit crimes against them...

As usual, Im sure this plea of common sense will fall on deaf ears as I recently responded to a general email notifying students of the conceal carry ban...

On a lighter note... For a "Christian" university, I am very disappointed in Hamline. With the motif of the curriculum, the atheist professors, jewish and other non-Christian staff, I would charge the school with wanton misrepresentation.

Yes, I obviously feel that Hamline has been a serious let down, so far I am almost finished with half of my MAPA degree and havent even cracked a book. All the books that came in plastic wrap are still in plastic wrap despite the ridiculous amounts students are charged. I have yet to hear a student in my cohort that is happy with the curriculum or quality of professors. Why does this school charge so much for such a substandard education?

Furthermore, why are you diversity initiatives anti-Euro American (ie white folks)? All over the university grounds I see loads of leftist propaganda, why not warn a student before they enroll at Hamline? It took me complaining to a few different people before even the hamline website finally included white people in the random pictures on the main page. If I remember corrextly it was like 1 white in a picture out of like 12... Now it is obviously better but just goes to show how biased this university is and the painstaking efforts of diversity pandering it does at the expense of people that are actually planning on contributing back to the TAXPAYERS that are footing the bill for your diversity initiatives. In fact, 3 out of 3 students just in my class that are "minorities" are planning on returning to Africa and all 3 are getting a free education ON MY DOLLAR. I bet the staff here is wondering how a swastika ended up in a bathroom... More people than you can imagine are tired of this all. It's just sad that they resort to petty vandalism rather than speak their mind like I am.

Please stop alienating the students that are working hard every day to pay for their tuition. Maybe you can instruct your staff on sensitivity training towards us "privilaged white folk". If your staff is going to continually berate the evil white male for this privilage and his racist tendencies, at least have them explain where to find the privilages and point out the evil people that are ruining the world. Strange for how horribly racist Europeans and other white people are that everyone seems to want to exploit our generosity. Maybe someday the favor will be returned but I doubt it seeing what I have so far...

Thanks for your time...
Respectfully,
Troy Scheffler"

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