Great reporting as usual. I am again dismayed that this event occurred and provides yet more evidence of a general intolerance many (of all political stripes) seem to have when it comes to engaging with ideas, even those one may find outright offensive.
Well reported, on a difficult story since the Law School is being evasive. This story will teach the Federalist students a lesson in how it's good to take "contemporaneous" notes after a disagreeable meeting. Also, that if Utah is a one-party consent state, they should always bring a recording device when talking with college administrators.
Apr 18, 2023·edited Apr 18, 2023Liked by David Lat
I'm glad to hear you spoke at BYU Law. I went to undergrad there. Like any university it has its pros and cons. I thought that in many ways, academic study there could be more wide-ranging than at other universities because we would openly discuss philosophers such as Heidegger or Nietzsche and theology without anyone getting offended. But this was also 20 years ago and times have changed. On the other hand, try as BYU may, it is not the most diverse place. For someone who grew up in California with friends from a variety of backgrounds, BYU could be strange, even as a lifelong practicing Mormon. One example, in early 2003, the BYU student newspaper published an op-ed from a student advocating from the Iraq invasion quoting scripture. This was pre-meme era, but an appropriate SMH meme captures my response at the time. Other students war armbands to campus protesting in favor of the war. As a Californian, I considered myself conservative. And then I went to BYU. I was probably center-left there. I was one of a few students who opposed the Iraq invasion, though my disagreement was rooted in defensive realism. At any rate, after moving to DC after graduation, I found myself on the right politically once again. BYU Law wasn't even on my radar for law school.
BYU is a unique place. I'm glad went to undergrad there, but I feel pretty strongly that those BYU undergrads planning to go to law school should go elsewhere to encounter a little more intellectual and cultural diversity. I think it's good to encounter people who think differently than you do and who had different life experiences.
In short, BYU should be pushing for intellectual diversity and civil debates on campus. I would hope it would take the opportunity to present itself as a university that supports intellectual diversity.
Addendum: I should add I served my LDS mission in the Philippines and still think I'm fluent in Tagalog (I'm conversational). BYU offered credits in Tagalog. I know University of Hawaii also offers Tagalog credits, but not sure of any other university. I have enough credits for a minor in Tagalog except BYU didn't offer a minor in Tagalog at the time. About 80% of BYU's student body speaks a 2nd language. Living in the Philippines for 2 years from ages 19-21 was life changing. It's a beautiful thing to come away from that experience with a deep love for a country and a people not your own. I'd also like to think I make a pretty decent adobo.
Great reporting as usual. I am again dismayed that this event occurred and provides yet more evidence of a general intolerance many (of all political stripes) seem to have when it comes to engaging with ideas, even those one may find outright offensive.
Well reported, on a difficult story since the Law School is being evasive. This story will teach the Federalist students a lesson in how it's good to take "contemporaneous" notes after a disagreeable meeting. Also, that if Utah is a one-party consent state, they should always bring a recording device when talking with college administrators.
I'm glad to hear you spoke at BYU Law. I went to undergrad there. Like any university it has its pros and cons. I thought that in many ways, academic study there could be more wide-ranging than at other universities because we would openly discuss philosophers such as Heidegger or Nietzsche and theology without anyone getting offended. But this was also 20 years ago and times have changed. On the other hand, try as BYU may, it is not the most diverse place. For someone who grew up in California with friends from a variety of backgrounds, BYU could be strange, even as a lifelong practicing Mormon. One example, in early 2003, the BYU student newspaper published an op-ed from a student advocating from the Iraq invasion quoting scripture. This was pre-meme era, but an appropriate SMH meme captures my response at the time. Other students war armbands to campus protesting in favor of the war. As a Californian, I considered myself conservative. And then I went to BYU. I was probably center-left there. I was one of a few students who opposed the Iraq invasion, though my disagreement was rooted in defensive realism. At any rate, after moving to DC after graduation, I found myself on the right politically once again. BYU Law wasn't even on my radar for law school.
BYU is a unique place. I'm glad went to undergrad there, but I feel pretty strongly that those BYU undergrads planning to go to law school should go elsewhere to encounter a little more intellectual and cultural diversity. I think it's good to encounter people who think differently than you do and who had different life experiences.
In short, BYU should be pushing for intellectual diversity and civil debates on campus. I would hope it would take the opportunity to present itself as a university that supports intellectual diversity.
Addendum: I should add I served my LDS mission in the Philippines and still think I'm fluent in Tagalog (I'm conversational). BYU offered credits in Tagalog. I know University of Hawaii also offers Tagalog credits, but not sure of any other university. I have enough credits for a minor in Tagalog except BYU didn't offer a minor in Tagalog at the time. About 80% of BYU's student body speaks a 2nd language. Living in the Philippines for 2 years from ages 19-21 was life changing. It's a beautiful thing to come away from that experience with a deep love for a country and a people not your own. I'd also like to think I make a pretty decent adobo.