University, Intellectual Diversity, and Conservative Women

On a campus where tolerance is the greatest secular virtue, student government leaders at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill displayed an outstanding lack of it last month when they dismissed two conservative women speakers and writers as “non-intellectual,” “non-academic,” and “unreliable,” according to the Daily Caller.

UNC’s College Republicans sought funding last month to bring Katie Pavlich, a New York Times bestselling author and Fox News contributor, and Ann McElhinny, a filmmaker and investigative journalist, to speak at the university. Student government leaders’ remarks about the women have since drawn national attention.

In this op’ed for The News and Observer, Karin Agness, founder of Network of enlightened Women (NeW), says the insulting and dismissive attitude of UNC’s campus leaders to conservative women, and conservative thought more generally, illustrates the dangerous lack of intellectual diversity on college campuses.

“Consider the case of Katie Pavlich,” said Agness. “Young women on campus, regardless of their ideologies, should be inspired by her story. […] With all of the talk of the need for more role models for women, shouldn’t coeds be encouraged to listen and learn from Pavlich’s experience?”

Where’s that Southern charm and civility, UNC?

The full link to Agness’ article: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/09/09/3180392/unc-ch-student-committee-drastically.html