Posted on 04/07/2005 11:06:24 AM PDT by KidGlock
College Republican leaders ousted over bake sale
Thursday, April 07, 2005
By Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood
The Grand Rapids Press
ALLENDALE -- Kyle Rausch started the day Monday as president of the Grand Valley State University College Republicans.
By day's end, he had denounced the Republican party and was considering law school as an alternative to public office.
"My political career is pretty much shot," said the 19-year-old political science major who spearheaded last month's controversial bake sale, sponsored by the College Republicans.
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At the club's meeting Monday, Rausch, of Adrian, club vice president Paul Leitelt, and treasurer Matt Blondke were asked by fellow members to resign.
"There was outside advice, but the group made the decision on its own," said Mike Westcott, past president and founder of the Grand Valley chapter of the College Republicans.
Westcott, 23, of Grand Haven, said the group wants to "apologize for offending and move on."
The March 21 bake sale upset several students, including five who filed complaints with the university, alleging the group violated GVSU's anti-discrimination policy.
During the sale, the students offered cupcakes for $2 for white men, 75 cents for blacks and white women, 50 cents for Asians and Hispanics, and 5 cents for American Indians.
Prompted by the complaints, administrators set up a review panel to conduct a hearing this Friday.
Paul Leidig, the club's faculty adviser, said "the club supported the idea of the bake sale as a satirical form of expression against affirmative action."
But Leidig, who also is chairman of the Ottawa County Republican Party, said he did not know the students planned to use a racially biased price scale when he approved the event.
"Had I known that, I would have not approved it," he said.
As a result of the controversy, Leidig said he advised the students to consider a leadership change to acknowledge they respect the fact people were offended by the bake sale.
"They do not feel they violated any section of the student code," Leidig said.
Rausch said he was planning to make a case at Friday's review for why the group had the right to hold the bake sale.
"The university recognized the fact that as long as I was in the driver's seat, I was not going to back down," Rausch said.
"They used the Republican Party to force me out and got the group to apologize for something they never should have apologized for.
"I've been called a bigot and racist," Rausch said. "There's nothing racist about saying affirmative action should be based on economic means and not race."
Rausch now describes himself as a "conservative independent" and said he plans to start a campus conservative student group next year.
Westcott said he will represent the College Republicans at Friday's hearing.
"We should admit wrong where wrong was done," he said.
"We're reasonable people. We're not going to fight for the sake of fighting."
Looks like he got sold out by candyasses.
Looks like it.
Westcott sounds like a future Orrin Hatch!
It's ironic that the guy trying to point out racism is being called a racist.
Sounds like Ottawa County has some idiotic and stupid republicans.
The bake sale was a perfectly fine event.
I demand an apology from those Republicans for offending me.
yep.
And those candyasses are likely future leaders of the republican party.
It's not called the stupid party for nothing!
"Leidig said he advised the students to consider a leadership change to acknowledge they respect the fact people were offended by the bake sale."
Sounds like another GOP clone of Neville Chamberlain. We have a few of them in the SENATE already....
"But Leidig, who also is chairman of the Ottawa County Republican Party, said he did not know the students planned to use a racially biased price scale when he approved the event."
Yeah, how dare they inject race into a debate about affirmative action!
Racial preferences (masquerading as "diversity" or "affirmative action") appear to have become as accepted in the body politic as free speech or Social Security. I don't like it, but there it is.
bump
"I've been called a bigot and racist," Rausch said. "There's nothing racist about saying affirmative action should be based on economic means and not race."
(ahem) MR. RAUSCH, this is your defining moment. Grow a spine, grow a couple---and show the local "GOP Advisors" how it's done....don't let the PC/Tolerance crowd castrate you, Sir!
NEVER RETREAT! NEVER SURRENDER! -- Churchill
They're offended by the bake sale, but not the policies that inspired it. It's okay to discriminate against whites for college admissions, but not to charge them extra for a cupcake.
Leidig sounds like he needs permission to go to the John, let alone hold an independent thought. I am sure he fits right in with the other campus faculty.
A friggin NINETEEN year old?!? Heres a news flash: you dont HAVE a career at 19 dolt!
The GOP RINOs may be riding high now, but just like the Democrats did in the 60's, through their arrogance they are sowing the seeds of their own destruction.
Is it kosher to publish an email address for Paul Leidig so that the rest of us Republicans can give him a piece of our minds?
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