CMU Vs. Dennis Lennox: What's at Stake

Prologue: First here is a quick rundown for those that haven't been following. Back in March, the administration at Central Michigan University offered their prestigious Griffin Chair to former Michigan Lottery Chair Gary Peters. This was a peculiar hire because Peters had already made his intentions public that he was considering a run at the U.S. Congress in a district hundreds of miles from the campus. This story was discovered by CMU junior, Dennis Lennox. Lennox began to track the story through a newsletter as well as this website. In October, Lennox captured Dean of Students Pamela Gates assaulting him when he served her with a FOIA request. At roughly the same time, the administration began to use unusually heavy handed tactics toward Lennox. They banned him from videotaping others in public places, a move that even sparked the ACLU to defend Lennox. Then, the administration sanctioned Lennox for such dubious violations as distributing literature too close to a doorway.

Currently, he is two days from facing a disciplinary hearing for this incident. Lennox was passing out literature at about nine in the evening inside a university building. This is a technical violation of the student code of conduct and his literature was confiscated by a Professor Koper. The incident got even more complicated because Lennox also refused to identify himself to the Professor which is another technical violation of the same student code. (As I have pointed out multiple times, drinking under age is also a violation but I know of no freshman or sophomores sanctioned for violating that policy at CMU)...now for my piece...

Some reading this may not see any relevance of the plight of Dennis Lennox to their own lives, however I believe the outcome is relevant to all of us. That's because Lennox has decided to take on a force more powerful than him. That force, like all powerful forces, didn't merely roll over when he took them on. Instead, they used the power they had and they used it liberally. They used that power toward him in a manner they would never dream of using toward anyone else. The irony is that the powerful forces haven't held themselves accountable at all while they have strictly applied rules toward Lennox. Lennox faces a disciplinary hearing because he passed out literature where he wasn't supposed to. While this may in fact be a technical violation of their student code of conduct, j walking is also a technical violation of traffic law. If someone were the subject of a j walking ticket, I would say the police were targeting that person. The CMU admin is using the student code of conduct here to target Lennox in a manner no less egregious than if someone received multiple j walking tickets.

While Lennox faces sanctions for exercising his first amendment rights too aggressively and for not identifying himself to a stranger at night, let's see what the administration has done and what if any sanctions that has merited. The Dean of Students assaulted Lennox and the assault was captured on video. A FOIA request found this exchange of emails.

Mr. Lennox is not only someone with noxious political and social beliefs, but someone who has mental health issues, and someone who seems to be losing control. The psychologist's advice (he has been following some of this on the news) is the following: "Don't provoke him. Don't initiate a confrontation of any sort, be it email, letter, or a face-to-face. He will respond in kind and escalate. Do not respond to correspondence, taunts, or 'stalking behavior' other than by calling the police. Appoint a mediator, if possible, from the counseling center [a neutral party], to try to convince him to either get help, back off or face scholastic or legal consequences." The psychologist went on to say that he thought that Lennox was a ticking bomb of sorts: he's angry [a little ball of hate, really], he's been rejected by other conservatives, and he has fixated on certain groups of people as the ultimate cause of his unhappiness. I know we are all furious with Lennox, and despise what he represents—let's face it, a movement that loathes academe and all it stands for. But I do think the above advice is solid and worth considering. Oh, and Horowitz has had connections with the Christian Right and the YAF because of their shared hatred for Muslims. It's a weird partnership, but one that has been flourishing for at least 10 years (Frontline did something on it a few years ago).

and this response

So are you saying that this kid is dangerous? As in Virginia Tech dangerous? Let's not ignore the warning signs...

These professors had of course never actually met Lennox, and it goes without saying that it is totally egregious to make such incendiary statements unless they are warranted. These statements weren't made as part of some sort of evaluation but rather strictly to poison the waters against him in an attempt to marginalize him. Just like Dean Gates, who assaulted him, neither of these professors has yet been held to account for their behavior.

This same set of emails found this one as well...

I think there is a growing impression that CMU is a Conservative Republicanbase and I and several others have heard this over and over from folks in our own administration, the faculity, and from Lansing politicians. The Department of Political Scinece has had top rate policy analysts in the first effort to fill the Griffin Chair and they percieve that they were overridden because of Ranny Ricker's call regarding (name blacked out). In the second search to fill the Griffin Chair the Department received a hassle when they found a moderate Republican to have cleared al the hurdles and a political ally and close associate of John Engler was almost foisted upon them even though the person lacked the same excellent qualifications as Bill Ballinger...

The author of this email is the head of the Poli Sci department himself, Del Ringquist, and he himself describes a department in chaos and turmoil. According to his own words, this is a department in an ideological civil war and hiring has become a tool for each of the ideological forces. As head of the department, the chaos and lunacy is ultimately his responsibility.

No one, not Dean Gates, not the two professors, and not Ringquist, have been held accountable for their behavior. The only one facing sanctions is Lennox himself. That's because the other folks I mentioned are part of the powerful force that Lennox is fighting. The powerful are rarely held to account. Only those with limited resources like Lennox ever have their behavior scrutinized.

Thus, Lennox is fighting one battle in the war to turn the ideals of this country into a reality. We are part of a country in which each individual is supposed t be equal. Of course, we all understand that in reality that is rarely the case. In reality, there are those with power and resources and those without it. Lennox is fighting one battle to turn the ideals of this country into a reality. If Lennox is sanctioned on these trumped up charges then the next powerful force will have an even easier road in eliminating their threat with whatever means they feel are necessary. If, on the other hand, the rest of us band together and let the administration know that this is unacceptable, and they back down, it will make it that much tougher for the next powerful force to exert its will to get its way.

There is a great line in a great movie, Hotel Rwanda,

I think they will say how terrible and go back and eat their dinner

Every reader of this piece has a choice to make now. You can all read this and think to yourself how terrible the way they are treating Dennis Lennox and go on with your day (go back and eat your own dinner), or you can do something about it. There is also a great and appropriate saying

evil reigns when good people do nothing

Will you decide to do nothing, or will you stand up for what is right? The choice is ultimately up to the reader. The reader's sacrifice in all of this is very small compared to what Lennox already has sacrificed and certainly what he still may. All that I ask is that you contact the folks at the emails I provide and let them know that this won't do. If everyone let's the administration know that they are watching, the folks will show the administration which force is really the most powerful force there is. One battle in a greater war will be won as well.

CMU President Michael Rao, mailto:president@cmich.eduand (989) 774-3131* Assistant Dean of Students Anthony Voisin anthony.a.voisin@cmich.edu and (989) 774-3016 * Board of Trustees Chairman Jeffrey Caponigro (R), capon1jr@cmich.edu and (248) 355-3200* Board of Trustees member Stephanie Comai (R), comai1s@cmich.edu and (734) 761-6915* Board of Trustees member John Kulhavi (R), kulha1jg@cmich.edu and (248) 737-6222* Board of Trustees member Gail Torreano (R), torre1gf@cmich.edu and (313) 223-7171