Inside the Beltway: Harvard students demand campus ‘diversity’ extend to conservatives

NEWS AND OPINION:

Prepare for an ivy-covered cultural moment. A new editorial in the Harvard Crimson — the student publication of Harvard University — now calls for the campus to be more accepting of conservative students following an extensive 18-month “diversity and inclusion” study by the university’s administration which found that only a “startling” 1.5 percent of the faculty identified as conservative while 83.2 percent are liberal.

“These statistics do not reflect America: 35 percent of Americans identify as conservative, 23 times the fraction of the faculty survey’s respondents, This stark divide has harmful effects on the University’s ability to train our nation’s leaders, and it risks alienating current and potential conservative students. It has also likely contributed to the declining trust of Americans in higher education, which has deleterious effects. Much more work is needed to make this important element of diversity a priority. We believe the University must emphasize hiring professors with diverse beliefs and backgrounds who can challenge prevailing campus ideas through tough ideological conversations,” the editorial reads.

The students are interested in “expanding the diversity conversation” here.

“Increasing ideological diversity — and making students who may disagree with mainstream campus ideas more welcome — should be worked toward beyond merely hiring intellectually diverse faculty, however. Initiatives to promote campus conversations in which beliefs are questioned should be encouraged, as should giving students the resources they need to feel comfortable but not unchallenged in their identities. By doing so, we expand the diversity conversation to make as many students feel as welcome as we can,” the editorial recommends.

’WE PAUSE IN SOLEMN GRATITUDE’

“We pause in solemn gratitude to pay tribute to the brave patriots who laid down their lives defending peace and freedom while in military service to our great Nation. We set aside this day to honor their sacrifice and to remind all Americans of the tremendous price of our precious liberty,” President Trump says in his official proclamation for Memorial Day.

“On this day, let us also unite in prayer for lasting peace in our troubled world so that future generations will enjoy the blessings of liberty and independence.”

The president also has an ambitious plan to protect the memories of American heroes.

“We must safeguard the legacies of our service members so that our children and our grandchildren will understand the sacrifices of our Armed Forces. As a part of this effort, the Department of Veterans Affairs is working to keep the memories of our fallen heroes from ever fading away,” Mr. Trump says.

Mr. Trump also asks the nation to pray for permanent peace in each locality at 11 a.m. Monday, and to observe the National Moment of Remembrance for Memorial Day beginning at 3 p.m. local time.

IN CASE YOU NEED A MOVIE

Memorial Day is a solemn occasion, but it’s not without some appropriate viewing material.

“Patriots may want to spend a few hours remembering some of our greatest war films,” notes Walter Todd Huston, an analyst for Breitbart.com who offers a lengthy and comprehensive list of suggestions.

But which one? It is a highly personal matter; Mr. Huston’s list immediately drew many hundreds of comments from readers eager to vote yea, nay or to offer their own titles. Indeed, it is difficult to judge which of Ronald Reagan’s or John Wayne’s war movies were the best.

Here is part of Mr. Huston’s list of the best war movies (and one TV mini-series), in no particular order with the year they were made: “Band of Brothers” (2001), “Patton” (1970), “The Longest Day” (1962), “The Patriot” (2000), “Saving Private Ryan” (1998), “The Great Escape” (1963), “Bridge Over the River Kwai” (1957), “Tora, Tora, Tora” (1970), “Sergeant York” (1941), “Flags of Our Fathers” (2006), “Glory” (1989), “Das Boot” (1981), “Casablanca” (1942), “All Quiet on the Western Front” (1930), “Full Metal Jacket” (1987), “From Here to Eternity” (1953), “The Dirty Dozen” (1967), “Dr. Strangelove” (1964) and “MASH” (1970).

IN CASE YOU NEED TO SHOP

Snappy merchandise supporting President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence has come a long way since the classic red Make America Great Again hat, which remains a trademark of the president himself. The retail side of things has expanded to include all matter of T-shirts — including “Veterans for Trump” and “Women for Trump” — along with Trump-themed bathing suits, watchcaps, mugs, flags, pet wear, rally items, signs, campaign gear and so forth and so on. Every single item is made in the U.S. by the way.

The official store is currently having 25 percent off Memorial Day sale and advises that “Remember” is the discount code word. Consult DonaldJTrump.com, under “shop.” It is a cheerful spot indeed.

POLL DU JOUR

• 70 percent of Americans who live in rural areas think other Americans don’t understand the problems they face; 65 percent of urban residents and 52 percent of suburban residents agree.

• 69 percent of rural residents say their neighbors are the same race/ethnicity that they are; 43 percent of urban residents and 53 percent of suburban residents agree.

• 56 percent of rural residents say people who live elsewhere “look down on them”; 63 percent of urban residents and 36 percent of suburban residents agree.

• 48 percent of rural residents say their neighbors are the same social class as they are; 44 percent of urban residents and 54 percent of suburban residents agree.

• 47 percent of rural residents say they live near the community they grew up in; 42 percent of urban residents and 38 percent of suburban residents agree.

• 24 percent of rural residents say their neighbors have the same political views as they do; 25 percent of urban residents and 19 percent of suburban residents agree.

Source: A Pew Research Center poll of 6,251 U.S. adults conducted Feb. 26-March 11 and released Thursday.

• Kindly follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin