The Diversity Chair at the second largest university in the U.S., the University of Central Florida, has resigned following his Facebook posts declaring that Trump supporters are unwelcome on campus. The Student Government Association (SGA) president defended the former Diversity Chair’s bigoted claims, stating that they “lacked clarity.”
This is the latest example of intolerance against right-leaning students which has been spreading on college campuses across the U.S.
Emails obtained by the UCF-run Knight News reveal how Nick Larkins, the school’s SGA president, refused to address bigoted remarks by Diversity Chair Grayson Lanza until pushback from the public arose. On June 27th, conservative student Daniel Hanna emailed the SGA president regarding a series of discriminatory remarks by Lanza. One such comment included an October 2016 Facebook post:
Hanna stated that the SGA president never replied to the email because he “just didn’t care enough. He started feeling the heat, no doubt in my mind if the pressure didn’t increase that Lanza would still be in office.” According to Campus Reform, Hanna also noted that Lanza allegedly approached him and his friends during a UCF Trump rally in October 2016, aggressively shouting that the group was “sexist” and “racist,” and affirmed, “I do not tolerate you and you are not welcome here.” Hanna explains:
That is the antithesis of diversity. You can talk about the diversity of skin color, religion, and sexuality all you want. But diversity of thought is a real thing too.
Many other UCF affiliates also objected to the SGA president, asserting that they have been made to feel unwelcome on campus under his presidency due to the discriminatory statements from Lanza, as reported by Knight News. Larkins failed to act on the case until the public reaction was amplified and Lanza resigned. In response, the SGA president released a statement via Facebook:
He [Grayson Lanza] has apologized for the lack of clarity in his comments and the issues this has produced. As a student leader, much like anyone else, we make mistakes. I am confident that Grayson has learned from this situation.
Lanza “lacked clarity” when stating that Trump supporters are unwelcome on campus? Perhaps as a college student, the SGA president has yet to take courses in reading comprehension. The Larkins’ administration is not the first to demonstrate prejudice against conservative students at UCF. Earlier this year, the Knights for Socialism hosted an event that was billed as “open to everyone and anyone, EXCEPT REPUBLICANS,” as previously reported by Liberty Nation. The UCF creed of diversity and respect has faced the intolerance and hypocrisy of the left’s mantra of “acceptance.” As chronicled by Liberty Nation, various universities across the U.S. have experienced similar bigotry. During one Trump rally at the University of California Berkeley, so-called “anti-fascists” resorted to setting fires and throwing feces at Trump supporters.
One of Nick Larkins’ many campaign promises was to represent all members of UCF, regardless of differences. With over sixty-four thousand attending UCF, students and parents are now demanding that the SGA president uphold “diversity of thought.”