Catholic League
News Release

May 16, 2006

UNIV. OF OREGON EXCUSES HATE SPEECH

After University of Oregon president Dave Frohnmayer offered a weak response
to an obscene anti-Christian assault in the March edition of the Insurgent, a campus
newspaper, Catholic League president Bill Donohue wrote a letter of protest to state
lawmakers, the state’s three bishops and others; he also sent copies of the offensive
graphics. Students of Faith, a group formed in response to the incident, subsequently
filed a grievance against the Insurgent; they learned yesterday that their grievance
was rejected by the Associated Students of the University of Oregon (ASUO).

Bill Donohue responded as follows:

“The grievance reads, ‘Students of Faith v. ASUO Student Insurgent.’ In other
words, the offending newspaper and the panel which heard the grievance are in
bed together. In other parts of the world, this kind of incestuous relationship is
called a kangaroo court. What else would we expect from ASUO: after all, on
April 21, they ruled against a grievance filed by a youth minister, but not before
securing the advice of the university’s counsel.

“In the ruling, the ASUO ruled that ‘there are no grounds for demanding an
apology from the Student Insurgent.’ In other words, there are no ethical
grounds upon which an apology should be granted. Furthermore, the ruling
said that the newspaper contributes ‘to the cultural and physical development
of the university community,’ even when it features an obscene depiction of
Jesus. Are we to believe that if during Black History Month, the Insurgent
showed a naked graphic of the Rev. Martin Luther King kissing another man,
both sporting erections, the same rationale would appear in a grievance filed
by black students?

“ASUO is a corrupt body. In 2003, its president, Rachel Pilliod, went berserk
when she received anti-Semitic mail. Today, the ASUO Women’s Center
tolerates no defamation against gays and lesbians. And three years ago,
ASUO demanded that the university radio station, KUGN, distance itself
from the Michael Savage show (which was dumped). It all depends on whose
ox is being gored.”

Contact Frohnmayer at pres@oregon.uoregon.edu

http://www.catholicleague.org/06press_releases/quarter%202/060516_UOregon_Excuses.htm
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Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights
The Catholic League is the nation's largest Catholic civil rights organization. It
defends individual Catholics and the institutional Church from defamation and
discrimination.
http://www.catholicleague.org/