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."
A complete lack of backbone and an extreme aversion to "offending anyone". These members are simply proving their worth as good future Republican office holders.
Westcott, 23, of Grand Haven, said the group wants to "apologize for offending and move on."
Im offended that he's offended so apologize to me wuss
This reminds me of why I keep telling hubby that our children shall start claiming to be Hispanic on government questionaires. They look like they could be. A good friend of ours was offered full scholarships to some very good schools due to her half Hispanic heritage though both of her parents are Americans since birth. She would have been passed over by those very same schools if she were only Caucasian. Anywho, hubby has said absolutely not to my suggestion.
Political stunts are supposed to offend people. Why do you think PETA puts naked ladies in cages?
My political career is pretty much shot.
Hardly, looks to me like you are on the fast track to Senate Majority Leader.
That was supposed to be offensive?
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. "
What a wussy and an idiot, sounds like a chafee in the making. The bake sales have been going on for years and he had to be living in a cave not to know about it.
Maybe then, YOU SHOULD GET A JOB!!!!!
The world needs ditchdiggers too. - Judge Smails
19. Geesh.
Dudes! You've been "Delay"ed!!
I'm blue-eyed and so white I'm pink. But according to some family records unearthed by my father's sister in Bermuda (where his family came to America from), I had both a great-grandmother and a great-great-grandmother that were, in the language of the day, "colored". I called up my company's HR department and asked if on that basis I could change my race classification to "African-American". I was told that it is company policy to not challenge anyone's self-identification by race.
multiple problems on multiple levels IMO
His mistake was assuming the GOP backed a conservative platform of economic incentives and merit based advancement.
"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.""
I'd vote for him!
Why would someone be offended by getting a cheaper cupcake? Hell, I'd tape my eyes back, become a bad driver and do well in math to get the cheapest one. :)
He wanted to run for public office when he was older.
I wish we could try and contact these kids!
These are republicans?
If anything it seems his political career is assured. It is the ones who caved who have caved.
He should go to law school. Seems like a good candidate for JUDGE.
Pah-leese. If he can't handle this light of a snub, then he can't handle politics. It gets much much worse and nobody gets ahead by taking their ball and going home.
So much for freedom of speech. But then we knew that was dead on college campuses anyway.
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