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Saturday update: Central Michigan University posts results of its inquiry into an offensive card given out by College Republicans at CMU group at an event members hosted.
"The card was the misguided action of one individual, who readily admitted her role," a statement says. "The young woman is not a CMU student."
An Associated Press dispatch says:
The woman who created the card apparently knew members of the College Republicans, which unwittingly distributed the valentine in a gift bag given to other students Wednesday night.
Damon Brown, director of student activities and involvement, describes members as "shocked and remorseful."
The official posting also quotes university President George E. Ross:
"The grossly offensive action of one individual, a nonstudent, has deeply distressed our campus community and others across the nation.
"With heavy hearts and great embarrassment, we apologize. To those of Jewish descent, rest assured that we stand with you and vow to continue the effort to educate others.
"The journey toward diversity, inclusivity, respect, peace, integrity and ethical leadership at times seems endless. Yet, the actions of our students, faculty and staff through this — coming together against hate and ignorance — can give us all hope. With varied political opinions and life views, we stand today in solidarity. In that, we embrace our future."
Original post, Friday morning:
A second anti-Semitic incident this week surfaces at a Michigan university.
A Central Michigan University Republican student group apologizes for giving out the Valentine's Day card above in gift bags on campus Wednesday night. The mockery of Jews who died in the Holocaust -- 6 million, not 6,000 -- makes news beyond this state, including coverage Friday by The Washington Post.
The College Republicans group handed out gift bags to students Wednesday night in in Anspach Hall, The Morning Sun off-campus newspaper reports.
This news comes as the University of Michigan investigates three racist and anti-Semitic emails sent to engineering students Tuesday night. One said: "“Hi you fucking filthy jews, I just wanted to say the SS will rise again and kill all of your filthy souls. Die in a pit of eternal fire!"
At CMU in Mount Pleasant, the Associated Press reports, the student GOP group apologized on Facebook, saying it doesn't condone anti-Semitism and that the card was made and placed in the bag without its knowledge. The group doesn't identify the member responsible.
Its post says:
At tonight’s College Republican meeting, we had a Valentine’s Day party, in which each member decorated a bag and other members placed valentines inside of others’ bags. Unfortunately, a very inappropriate card was placed into a bag without other members’ knowledge.
A bag was then given away to students sitting in Anspach, once again without members’ knowledge of its contents. The College Republicans as an organization did not distribute this valentine. We in no way condone this type of rhetoric or anti-Semitism. We apologize for any offense, and want students to know that we do not tolerate this sort of behavior.
That statement brings this reaction from Ron Fruitman of West Bloomfield, commenting under a four-paragraph AP item at the Detroit Free Press' site:
Apology not accepted. Expulsion is the remedy and decertification of the group.
This is clearly Trump/Bannon speak. They now feel free to spew hatred.
Several dozen people rallied on campus Thursday against hate speech and CMU President George Ross issued this statement:
We are deeply disappointed by last night’s situation with a Valentine card containing an inappropriate sentiment that was produced during a student organization meeting. This is not who we are as a campus community. Such hurtful, offensive language, while protected by the First Amendment, is unacceptable and is not consistent with our values and standards.
We once again urge each of our students, faculty and staff to be beacons of peace, respect, inclusivity and civility — to be role models of integrity, dignity and leadership. At Central Michigan University, we stand up against hate, protect the safety of all, and build bridges of understanding that bring people together.
Cindy Hughey, executive director of the Hillel Jewish Student Center at the university, said the Jewish community on campus is “deeply concerned and disappointed that students would use anti-Semitic rhetoric and references to the Holocaust in a joking manner,” Lindsey Bever writes in The Washington Post. Her article, which draws naerly 500 comments in four hours, adds:
“We find these references . . . trivialize an incredibly dark period in history when more than 6 million Jews perished,” she said in a statement.
Numerous social media posts condemn the insensitive card.
Eric Baerren, a Mount Pleasant blogger, says on Facebook that the young Republicans "go into Trump-like damage control mode when people don't find it funny." He also wonders "just what else those people say when it's just members of the College Republicans."
"Hatred is out there!" tweets Bernard Silverman in another reaction.
"I must have lived a sheltered life because this kind of behavior shocks me," tweets Joseph Moore. "Expulsion!"
