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    An Update on the Case of Dennis Lennox


    By mike volpe, Section News
    Posted on Wed Dec 05, 2007 at 03:33:05 PM EST
    Tags: (all tags)

    (Promoted by Nick... welcome to the Sphere in Michigan and thanks for helping out!)

    Hey everyone, I am a conservative blogger from Chicago. I was made aware of the story of Dennis Lennox through Red State. I have been motivated to help you with your cause. If you read my work, you will see that I have been following another story that involves student intimidation on the campus of Emory University. My radar is always up when I see university administration trying to intimidate students doing the right thing. I wanted to post the piece that I posted on my own site. Proprietor Nation

    I was made aware of the case of Dennis Lennox yesterday by my cohorts at Red State. Dennis Lennox is a student at Central Michigan University. He has become concerned because one of the professors there, Gary Peters, is also running for Congress. Lennox wants to make sure that Peters doesn't use the bully pulpit of the classroom to run his campaign.

    Lennox has gone to the extreme and controversial step of following Peters around the public areas of the University with a camera and asking questions and then posting the encounters on You Tube. This is what is referred to as ambush journalism. There are a few things to note here. The recepient of the ambush is never comfortable or pleased with it. Second, this is a bold and sophisticated form of journalism. In other words, something that is very impressive for a college student. Finally, when it is done in public areas to public officials, it is well within first amendment rights.

    There is no doubt that Peters doesn't enjoy being ambushed everytime he walks the grounds of Central Michigan University. So what? He decided to make himself a public figure when he ran for Congress. He decided to open himself up to further scrutiny when he also decided to teach in the classroom during his campaign.

    Where the real problems start is what the administration has done in response. They have clearly sided with the professor against the right of the student. They have banned video cameras from the public square. This move has even created an alliance between the ACLU and Conservative Michigan blog Right Michigan.

    Right Michigan has obtained a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union addressed to Central Michigan University President Michael Rao and dated November 27th requesting that the University lift a ban on videotaping ProfessorGary Peters on campus, a ban targeted at a conservative student, Dennis Lennox. According to the ACLU the University's decision "violates Mr. Lennox's First Amendment right to engage in political advocacy."

    Agree or disagree with Lennox's tactics, or with the ACLU's position on most other things, for that matter, but they're absolutely right about this one.

    Lennox videotapes a Professor in a public setting at a public university on public property. CMU's targetted ban (it didn't exist before Gary Peters and Dennis Lennox) is a direct attempt to scuttle his First Amendment rights and, in fact, the rights of every Michigan taxpayer. Props to the ACLU for getting this one right.

    So far, my previous piece has received only one comment. I want to share it now because it is revealing of the mindset of the other side.

    If this guy wants to inteview the prof, he should arrange an interview. Stalking is not a reasonable form of political expression.It has often been said that liberals regard civil liberties as an excuse to indulge in immature or offensive behavior. This the same kind of thing.

    Whether or not one approves of Lennox' methods is frankly not the issue. If this poster wants to publish a commentary condemning the methods of ambush journalism they can do that. That said, the school cannot under any form of freedom and fairness halt his activities by barring something constitutional. This professor made himself a public figure when he ran for Congress. He made his activities open to scrutiny when he decided to teach at the same time he ran. Whatever you think of his methods, he has every right to use them. The school is threatening him with expulsion. (like I said in my previous diary, my radar is up whenever I hear of universities trying to subvert student's rights especially when the student is trying to do the right thing) The school opened itself up to this when it allowed him to teach while he ran, and now they are subverting perfectly legal citizen journalism that is trying to make sure that the appearance of impropriety is all there is. It is frankly despicable and I hope everyone stands with me in not only condemning it, but doing something about it. Here is a list of email addresses and other contact information of those in charge at Central Michigan University.

    Mr. Jeffrey R. Caponigro, chair: capon1jr@cmich.edu
    Ms. Stephanie Comai: comai1s@cmich.edu
    Mr. Brian W. Fannon: fanno1bw@cmich.edu
    Ms. Jacqueline N. Garrett: garre1jn@cmich.edu
    Dr. Marilyn French Hubbard: hubba1mf@cmich.edu
    Dr. Sam R. Kottamasu: kotta1sr@cmich.edu
    Mr. John G. Kulhavi, vice chair: kulha1jg@cmich.edu
    Ms. Gail F. Torreano: torre1gf@cmich.edu
    Dr. Michael Rao: (989) 774-3131, president@cmich.edu

    I hope everyone reading this will email those in charge and demand that Lennox not only be given his constitutional rights back but that his intimidation ends. He is being threatened with expulsion. So please, everyone write a respectful email that demans this stops immediately. Here is mine...

    Dear Mr. Capognorio,

    I am a conservative blogger and contributor to Redstate.com. I have been made aware of your efforts to intimidate a student who was using ambush journalism with regards to a professor who was also running for Congress. It is sad and reprehensible that the administration would try and protect a professor from embarrassment and from feeling uncomfortable, rather than defend a student's right to the FIRST AMENDMENT. Whatever you think of his methods, he has every right to approach Professor Peters with a camera in a public square. Professor Peters made himself into a public figure when he decided to run for Congress. He opened himself up to controversy when he also decided to teach while he ran.

    What the student in question, Dennis Lennox, is trying to make sure of is that this appearance of impropriety is only an appearance. Your administration created the opening for such action when you allowed the teacher to teach and run for Congress concurrently. Furthermore, rather than protecting your student's rights to the first amendment you actually try and intimidate him. You have taken the drastic and unconstitutional step of banning video in your public square. This is a pandora's box. Does this include video equipment on cell phones as well? I understand that you are even threatening to expel him. This is unacceptable and if you insist on moving forward, I can assure you that you will make an enemy of the right blogosphere and we will in unison use every power of the internet to expose your intimidation to the world.

    The reputation is ultimately the most important thing that a University has. If you want yours to be one of protecting professors and intimidating students then keep this up.

    Now, its your turn.

    < Portrait of a Tax Hiker: Pam Byrnes (D-Lyndon Township) | Driver's Responsibilty Tax - Debtor's Prison >


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    re: Lennox case (none / 0) (#1)
    by whatever on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 10:20:11 AM EST
    A couple of things:

    1) There was a story here yesterday whose headline was intentionally false about Lennox being denied access to his records. Not the case at all. CMU didn't write FERPA law--they only have to follow it. Your beef is with FERPA law here, not CMU:

    http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/students.html

    As Mr. Lennox obviously has routine and easy access to CMU (and apparently gobs and gobs of free time), he should be able to very very conveniently access his records in person as per FERPA guidelines, which CMU is following and honoring.

    2) "Ambush Journalism." My own advice to Mr. Peters way back would have been to laugh Lennox off and even get into it: get his own video camera and film Lennox right back and post the video on Internet blogs. My hunch if that occured, though, there would stories here of a different nature--about the harrassment being dished out to an innocent student at the hands of an authority figure.

    It's been my experience that the "Golden Rule" is a good one to live by and that those who engage in ambush journalism and character assassination inevitably end up being the ones with the thinnest skin when the dust settles.

    • FERPA by chetly, 12/06/2007 12:31:16 PM EST (none / 0)
      • re: FERPA by whatever, 12/06/2007 01:30:42 PM EST (none / 0)
    *sigh* (none / 0) (#2)
    by John Galt on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 11:44:22 AM EST
    Trying to use a hypothetical that never happened to support a conclusion you wish to make about someone is pretty pathetic.

    Perhaps you should find the "previous post" about Lennox's records to make your point about FERPA.  Your point is disjointed and unintelligible, since it's irrelevant to this specific diary entry.

    re: *sigh* (none / 0) (#4)
    by whatever on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 01:28:21 PM EST
    Well, let me be the one to put the topic back on the discussion of the issue and pull it up out of the mud (yet again):

    "Lennox wants to make sure that Peters doesn't use the bully pulpit of the classroom to run his campaign."

    As a teacher, I'm curious about the use of the term "bully pulpit" here. Has there been evidence that Mr. Peters has indeed done that? If not, I don't see the problem with a human being--complete with his or her beliefs, values, personality, etc--being a teacher in the classroom. Maybe we can have soul-less robots teach people?

    Diversity in the classroom should be supported and Mr. Lennox is certainly afforded his views and should be allowed to publicly express them. Just like Mr. Peters should be allowed his personal views. But the free flow of ideas is undermined in any environment when one of the affected parties decides to start goading and prodding and being disrespectful. Such a person isn't interested in honest debate at all.

    The tactic seems to be shifting. First it was the tactic of "Mr. Peters is running for Congress on the taxpayer's dime and not devouting his proper time to students"...now it's "we want to make sure Peters doesn't use his 'bully pulpit' because we don't like his politics."

    Pick one, please, and stick with it. It's getting rather confusing to follow the logic here.

    the tragedy (none / 0) (#7)
    by whatever on Fri Dec 07, 2007 at 10:31:07 AM EST
    As a follow-up, let me say that the real tragedy is there are legitimate things to debate in this issue. The CMU student newspaper has carried a few thoughtful letters--one from an adjunct who toils like Mr. Peters doesn't have to--that really were well written and brought up valid points.

    Sadly, though, the environment that created good debate in this matter has been crushed beyond repair by the egocentric and shrill behavior of Mr. Lennox, who has decided that he and his mini-celebrity status is much more important than the issue itself.

    Long gone now are the debates about Mr. Peters that focus on the issue and do so in a professional way--now Mr. Lennox is center stage. Now it's about him. Now it's about him only.  

    That sort of thing happens quite frequently anymore.

    And we all lose because of it.

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