Anyone paying attention to Texas State news may have noticed heightened protest activity coming from liberal groups on campus. They have screamed on The Quad and outside the police station, sat-in at LBJ and relentlessly cried on Twitter.
Outcries stem from a protest that occurred May 1, 2019, between liberal and conservative students. Funny enough, left-wing groups were protesting a far-right organization that never showed up on campus and instead, turned their ire toward students wearing MAGA hats.
During the protest, with heightened police presence to keep the peace, a student ripped a MAGA hat off another student. The police, wary of activity, sprung into action and arrested the student in question, as well as those that interfered.
Following the four arrests, liberal students cried foul. However, it is clear these liberal groups were looking for a fight. All someone has to do is log on Twitter and see said groups putting out tips for dealing with fascists to know they were looking for violence.
If someone steals another’s property, no matter the justification, it is still a crime. When a protester shoves a cop who is detaining them, it is a crime. The outcome of the heated protest was not surprising but anticipated by these semi-professional protest groups.
Using the momentum from the arrests, students staged a second sit-in at the LBJ Student Center nearly a year after the first. They presented demands, which were ridiculous; violent students did not want to deal with the consequences and demanded no more police involvement.
Students then demanded sensitivity training, which is something protesters probably need more than police officers.
The last two demands are seemingly just the protesters trying to make get what they want while they have a platform. Worker’s rights and an additional general education requirement for cultural diversity have nothing to do with the incident. This should reinforce the fact the protesters caused a scene to get noticed and make demands.
However, the administration threatened punitive action, which ended the sit-in. This should be how all administrations handle leftist bullies who stop at nothing to shut down free speech and pass their agenda.
Sadly, this is not the end of it. Liberal groups have managed to hijack student government and demanded a whole slate of legislation. First, they called for abolishing the University Police Department. Not only is this laughably stupid and leaves no protection on campus, but students do not come close to having that kind of power.
Liberal students demanded immunity for the arrested protesters, who were apparently willing to do the crime but not suffer any consequences. Additionally, student protesters demanded an apology as well as an increase in general education courses for diversity and faculty of color.
It is time for Texas State to stop being held hostage by students. It is one thing to agree to take on diversity initiatives to help and improve the school. It is completely different when an administration is being forced into action by groups who are using protest as a platform.
The current administration needs to hold students accountable and stop remaining fearful of students because they identify as people of color. That does not hand them carte blanche.
Stop negotiating and do what is needed to ensure all students can safely attend the university, not just the ones who make the most noise. It is ridiculous how a student can steal another’s property, assault police officers and then demand no punishment.
If the student government is going to continuously be used as a place to attack political enemies and create problems, it might be time for the organization to cease to exist. It is supposed to act as a representation of the student body and yet, all it has become is an embarrassment to the university.
The administration should stay strong in its decisions regarding the protests and not constantly give in to demands. While some changes and amendments may be necessary, students need more accountability to be shown that, just because they are on one side of the political aisle, they are not free of consequences.