U-M Department Chair: 'It's Okay to Hate Republicans'

Michigan Capitol Confidential ^ | 12/17/2014 | Tom Gantert

[MichCapCon]

Professor Susan J. Douglas, a department chair at the University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science and Arts, wrote a column this week for the liberal website inthesetimes.com entitled, ‘It’s Okay To Hate Republicans.’

Douglas, who is chair of the Communications Studies program, opened her article with the line, “I hate Republicans.”

The article includes a photo of three U.S. Senators who are Republicans, with the caption, “It’s okay to despise these men.”

Douglas, whose university pay was $178,786 last year, did not respond to a request seeking comment.

“We see this as a free speech issue,” said Rick Fitzgerald, spokesman for the University of Michigan.

Leon Drolet, chair of the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance, said employers have a right to determine what type of conduct they expect from their employees.

But Drolet said the University of Michigan has to make sure their mission is not compromised by an extremist.

“Their very mission is to create an environment that facilitates learning through an exchange of ideas,” Drolet said. “She is a detriment to the University because she hates and encourages others to hate University students who disagree with her political views. Many students in that department will feel intimidated and reluctant to express their views on politics, policy and society because a University official has announced she will hate them for it.”

Drolet compared the to situation of Omar Mahmood, a U-M student who wrote a recent column for the Michigan Daily campus newspaper mocking political correctness.

Mahmood wrote satirically about being left-handed and feeling discriminated against. That column led to his leaving a position as columnist at the publication, whose editors explained that a column "mocking minorities" was wrong because it “violated our values and integrity.”

There are reports that Mahmood has been harassed and his apartment vandalized on campus.

In a similar incident at Michigan State University, Professor William Penn was removed from his teaching assignments in the fall of 2013 after an anti-GOP rant by him was caught on tape. Penn said Republicans are old people with "dead skin cells washing off them" who "raped" the United States to get "everything out of it they possibly could." Penn threatened any student who he said might be a closet racist and told the class, "I am a college professor. If I found out you are a closet racist, I am coming after you." He was eventually reassigned the next semester.

In 2012, Douglas moderated an event that was accused of violating University of Michigan policies prohibiting the use of school resources to advertise a partisan event. The "non-partisan" event was called “The Republican War on Women.” When Dr. Robert Steele, a candidate for the U-M Regents, raised questions about the title of the event, it was amended by adding a question mark to the statement: “The Republican War on Women?” The panel included three liberal writers and no Republicans.

“I’m not sure where ‘hate’ has anything to do with disagreeing on policies,” Steele said Wednesday.

In 2008, Ron Weiser, former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, donated $10 million to a division of the same U-M college that employs Douglas, called the International Institute.

State taxpayers appropriated $321.7 million in direct aid for the University of Michigan in 2014.

[MasterGunner01]

Then I guess that it is all right that I hate Professor Susan J. Douglas, University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science and Arts, chair of the Communications Studies program. Now that was a real mouthful of superfluous puffery to get out! Douglas is a self-important fop and a legend in her own mind.

[ViLaLuz]

Haters gonna hate.

[greyfox]

I read this article and couldn't believe what I was reading, a communications professor at a noted University openly advocating hatred of Republicans. An intolerant democrat displaying for all to see and hear the narrow mind of the democrat. This professor is presumably intelligent and the author of many books, (I haven't READ NOR DO i INTEND TO), I cannot understand anyone displaying such hatred being allowed to teach young minds, in an atmosphere of presumably, an exchange of ideas. It would seem the only ideas to be tolerated are her own. This is the world of higher education? This is the world liberals have created a world of intolerance under the guise of openness and tolerance. This woman is toxic and should not be allowed to spew her venom to young minds.