Le Moyne’s Follies

Yesterday, NPR ran a report on Scott McConnell’s case at Le Moyne College. The report was extremely well-done and balanced. McConnell and a Le Moyne representative spoke to NPR. Le Moyne’s remarks were nothing short of ridiculous. First, the college hinted that there were other factors involved in Scott’s dismissal, but it could not discuss those facts because of student privacy concerns. This is a typical tactic for universities: by darkly hinting at unknown “additional factors,” the school causes the public to wonder if there are true skeletons in the student’s closet. In this case, we don’t have to wonder. We have the college’s dismissal letter, which states that the reason for Scott’s expulsion was “the mismatch between your personal beliefs regarding teaching and learning and the Le Moyne College program goals.” No dark secrets there—just pure viewpoint discrimination. Second, despite the fact that Scott is appealing his dismissal and has not yet had his appeal hearing, the college told NPR that it would stand behind its initial decision. At Le Moyne, due process must mean verdict first, trial later.