An (Ex) UC Irvine Donor Speaks Out on the Campus Flag Controversy

"UCI has lost its way"



Mark Chapin Johnson, whose foundation had been a donor to UC Irvine, has written an eloquent piece in the Orange County Register today on why his foundation will no longer contribute to UC Irvine in the wake of the flag controversy.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/-655023--.html

Kudos to Mr Johnson. I can only hope that the UCI professors and their colleagues from other universities are reading his piece today. Now they can see what their actions in writing a letter of support for the 6 students who voted to remove the flag from their student government space have wrought.

It is precisely the actions of Mr Johnson that are needed. Yes, there is freedom of speech for misguided students to remove an American flag in the interest of not offending "DREAMERS" and other international students whom they assume are "uncomfortable" at the sight of an American flag (which few are). There is also freedom of speech for dopey professors to write letters of syupport that add insult to injury by referring to the flag as "paraphernalia" representing all kinds of imagined American sins. But there is also freedom of speech for people like Mr Johnson to bring the issue to the public's attention to for him to use his money for other purposes.

Mr Johnson has killed two birds with one stone in the manner that universities will understand: he has kept the issue before the public, and he has withdrawn his financial support.

As I always say: I blame the professors more than I blame the young and misguided students. It is the professors who put this poison in the heads of the students,  UCI is not Berkeley. But as is usually the case, it is a small minority who ruin things for the majority.