Conservatives who apply to the Student Services Fees Committee should use discretion when applying. I said as much in a letter to the College Republican LISTSERV when I advised, âÄúIf you volunteered for Norm Coleman, keep it to yourself.âÄù I advise this because Vice Provost Jerry Rinehart, his underlings in the Office of Student Affairs and selectors on the fees committee discriminate against applicants with conservative viewpoints.
In past years, a self-identified liberal fees selector bemoaned on his blog that he couldnâÄôt keep conservatives off of the fees committee because, âÄúwe just didnâÄôt have the pool of applicants to be able to do that.âÄù When Rinehart found out about the bias of this fees selector, he did not send a warning to all student groups about the âÄútacticsâÄù of the liberal fees selector. Rather, Rinehart championed reforms that would increase the pool of applicants. Rinehart went on to describe conservatives on the committee as being âÄúinefficientâÄù and later encouraged further reforms to make the process more efficient.
Rinehart has claimed that my letter to the College Republicans somehow creates a conflict of interest. However, none can exist since the College Republicans and all other partisan groups are banned from applying for fees. Rinehart wants to know the viewpoints of applicants not to prevent conflicts of interests âÄî but rather to deny membership to those who conflict with his interests.
Rinehart has one message to conservatives interested in narrowing the liberal funding advantage: Pay the fee and stay away.