Earlier this week, I was invited by some gentlemen to sign up for the Barbeque for Animal Rights. I proceeded to inform them that they had to be joking: Such a thing would obviously be a contradiction in terms, and in any case, I was late for a class. Imagine my shock to be informed by a friend that there had indeed been a Barbeque for Animal Rights sponsored by the College Republicans, and they had most definitely not been serving veggie burgers.

To those others of you who consider yourselves Republicans, I will strive to keep in mind that those responsible for this event do not necessarily represent your party nor even your campus organization as a whole. An admonition from you would have much greater impact than any a “bleeding-heart liberal” such as myself could deliver, and I urge you to confront your fellow Republicans and challenge them to hold themselves to a higher standard than they have demonstrated. To the College Republicans responsible for this event, you have done your party a disservice. I hope you have enough conscience to be ashamed of yourselves, because I’m certainly ashamed for you.

Bartelt is a senior English major.