Since the incident last Monday, I am sure Brandon Henak and the College Republicans received a lot of flack from students, but I cannot say I have sympathy for them. After carefully analyzing the situation, checking out www.americansnipers.org, reading comments in the Tribune and debating the issue with my classmates, I have concluded the College Republicans poorly planned their fundraiser and made false accusations. The removal of their table by the Office of Student Development was not politically motivated, as Henak accused it of being, nor was it an attempt to silence their organization. It was an issue of whether or not something so distasteful belonged on our campus because it did not follow the values of our university, political sentiment aside. However, in fairness to the College Republicans, I applaud their interest in supporting our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, although it is obvious there are better fundraising alternatives.

First, as the Vice President of a non-partisan student organization on campus, I am aware of the procedures necessary to get an event approved by the OSD. The group must be precise in explaining the type of event being held and must give an accurate representation of their goals. Clearly the College Republicans were either misleading or unclear about their proposed event; otherwise OSD would not have confiscated their materials. Had the student group been honest or clear in the first place, they could have spent their time working on an alternative fundraiser.

Second, after three-and-a-half years of political science and economic courses, I realize that the phrase, "it was politically motivated" has become trite terminology if there is not a sufficient argument to back up the claim. The phrase is used for one of two reasons: to annoy one's opposition or to avoid analyzing the situation at hand. In the Feb. 3 story, "'Adopt a Sniper' display taken down" by Amanda Sheaffer, Henak and Dan Maciejewski provided no sufficient argument to convince me that the university's action was politically motivated. It was not an attempt to "stifle the voice of the College Republicans," as Henak suggested. The fact is the table would have been taken down no matter which student organization was responsible for it.

Considering its religious philosophy, Marquette is doing an adequate job of representing different voices and to accuse this university of being biased is deplorable. Henak may have forgotten, but Marquette allowed both the Bush Twins and Cate Edwards to speak around election time – not to mention a Gay/Straight Alliance on campus and that the university also does not allow for the distribution of birth control pills in Student Health Services. So, if the university is biased, which side is it biased toward?

Finally, more than the table itself or the political accusations, I was disappointed in the student group's choice to raise money by distributing jewelry carrying the slogan, "One Shot, One Kill, No Remorse, I Decide." I am not as religious or politically active as many students, yet I was still disgusted by its negativity, as were my classmates from across the political spectrum and from several different religions. Perhaps the selling and wearing of that type of slogan is okay for military personnel who are trained to think like that, but it has no place at a university. "Adopt a Sniper" is clearly not a cause an overwhelming percentage of people on this campus would support, as demonstrated by its vast criticism, and it should not have come as a surprise to the College Republicans. I am mystified as to why they would not choose something containing a positive message if they wanted to raise a sizeable amount of money for our troops. Greater support would be generated from selling ribbons, armbands with positive messages or just asking for donations and handing out literature.

What is done is done, and in the end the student group is right back where they started. I strongly urge them to try to fundraise in a more constructive way that is in line with our university's values. In the mean time, Henak owes the faculty and student body an apology for his disgraceful accusations.

Lipke is a Senior International Affairs and German major.

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Feb. 10 2005.,”Kristin M. Lipke”

“