California State University Fresno has been in the news lately due to the horrific antics of Professor Randa Jarrar. As most know by now, this is the disgusting person who posted on Twitter hateful comments in reference to the passing of Barbara Bush. Comments such as, “PSA: either you are against these pieces of [expletive] and their genocidal ways or you’re part of the problem. that’s actually how simple this is. I’m happy the witch is dead. can’t wait for the rest of her family to fall to their demise the way 1.5 million iraqis have.”
While terrible, it is sadly not surprising. I do not mean this in the way that most people speak about how colleges are becoming bastions for liberal elitism. Nor am I talking about how teachers such as this get a bye from the university for expressing their First Amendment rights while conservatives are branded as racists and misogynists right before they are kicked out of class. No, I am speaking as an actual alumnus from the school.
I attended CSU Fresno and graduated in December of 2000. My experience was both much different and the same as the experiences of conservative students today. In my case, there were some very clear differences. For example, I literally went from serving in Panama to attending classes in the course of two weeks.
At the time, I had served in the US Army for six years and had a deployment to Somalia under my belt. In addition, I was a hard-charging sergeant when I left the military. I also left the Army with a Green to Gold Scholarship, meaning I had already contracted to come back in as an officer upon graduation. What does this all mean? I did not take gruff from anyone, student or teacher. I went into college believing in the principles of vehement debate and would not be dissuaded from this view. I also came into the school with a very healthy respect for respect and discipline. Something that most of my classmates did not share. Most importantly, however, I started school at 24 years old with a fair amount of real-world experience under my belt.
For example, I remember my first day of school sitting in a sociology class when the bell rang. The teacher stood up at the front of the class waiting for students to stop talking and shuffling around so that he could start class. After approximately fifteen seconds of the classroom being what I felt was disrespectful, I loudly shouted out, “At ease!” Needless to say, I was branded from that moment forward. However, the class stopped and paid attention. The teacher came up later and thanked me for helping control the class. What struck me was how weak this instructor was. Why couldn’t/wouldn’t he take control of the class himself? More importantly, why would he thank me for simply doing the right thing? As I later determined, his leanings were conservative and his demure demeanor was simply par for the course with most conservative instructors for the undergrad classes.
As a criminology major, I can happily state that my core teachers all leaned very conservative. This in no way surprises me, as they all came from the field and therefore had actual experience with the true depth of evil of which humans are capable. Plus, since the entire department was constructed this way, I never had any oppositional encounters with those professors.
The same cannot be said for the rest of the school faculty. I ended up taking a course titled Critical Thinking Anthropology. What it should have been entitled was Indoctrination into Liberal Biases and Thinking. As was usual for me, I sat in the front seat, ready to engage with the teacher. When the teacher walked in, I was shocked. She was dressed almost like a safari explorer from a bad 1980s movie, complete with the tan hat and the pants rolled up the calf. She immediately began talking about how America was at fault for all of the evils in the world. Needless to say, this began a very intense conversation that lasted throughout the entire semester.
However, that first day was nothing like the following week, when I wore my uniform to class as required for all contracted cadets. She immediately began questioning why I was in ROTC, did I understand anything about the American military complex, and how I would be required to go in and murder for my government, etc. I explained to her that not only did I have an incredible understanding of the military since I had served for the past six years, I also had a historical understanding of our military and what it stood for throughout the world.
While taking this class, I ended up befriending a like-minded young lady in the class who constantly reminded me that by arguing with the teacher I was simply guaranteeing myself a failing grade. I was well aware of this fact, and while I did not enjoy the thought of failing, I simply would not allow her so-called facts to go unchallenged. This was especially true given her absolute bias and disgust with the military and the fact that there were so many impressionable minds in that class.
Imagine my surprise when at the end of the semester I not only passed but obtained an A. Does this give her, and other professors like Randa Jarrar, a pass? After all, if I can get an A in such a hostile class, why can’t anyone? I was and always have been an anomaly. I simply cannot accept or allow what I view as unfairness. This even comes before my need for self-preservation. In addition to this, I not only was able to argue the abstracts of my beliefs, but I had lived it and therefore could directly refute the arguments that most progressives would give. Arguments like, “Cubans love their country and government. They are staunchly against our government’s attempt to oust Castro” fall apart when I can come back with, “I have served alongside soldiers who came from Cuba and here is the truth on the ground.”
Most students are simply not prepared for that level of hostility. As a general rule, people typically tend to shy away from conflict, and this is even truer when that aggression is coming from an authority figure. Even then, it might be possible to endure these overt prejudices if it were only one class a year, or even a semester. But in my case, it was virtually two or three classes a semester. The only real difference between 2000 and 2018 is at least when I was in school, teachers lacked social media to turn the schools into the laughing stocks they have become.
I find it sad that the donors are now looking at withholding funds from the school. Not because they are talking about using their dollars to enact a change, but because the only reason they care is due to the inescapable manner that this discussion has come to light. How sad that these concerned individuals are only concerned when the teacher embarrasses themselves on the national stage. Wouldn’t it be nice if they actually cared about the damage these teachers are doing on a daily basis in their classrooms?
