Fordham University Hits Bottom, Keeps Digging in Ann Coulter Disinvite Kerfuffle

Over the past few days, FIRE has highlighted a disappointing situation at Fordham University. In brief: the Fordham College Republicans invited Ann Coulter to speak, public pressure mounted to rescind her invitation, Fordham University President Joseph McShane, S.J., while not cowing to the pressure to ban Coulter from campus, nonetheless denounced her views (and denounced the students for inviting her). Seeing which way the wind was blowing, the College Republicans disinvited Coulter shortly before McShane's denunciation went out. Here is a good account from one involved student.

FIRE's own Robert Shibley, in his second guest post on the topic at College Insurrection (you can read the first one to get up to speed) responds to a new statement from Fordham attempting to justify Father McShane's email, this time from Director of Communications Bob Howe. You can read Fordham's statement for yourself at the link, but here's an excerpt: 

Ann Coulter's propensity for slurs and hate speech is well-documented, and her (now cancelled) appearance couldn't pass without comment... [But t]o issue a statement on Professor Singer's philosophical, logical, and moral shortcomings would be overstepping the boundaries of academic discourse.

Robert dismantles Fordham's statement point-by-point. Check out the rest of the statement, and Robert's response, at College Insurrection.