Some Liberty University Grads Returning Diplomas

[struggle4progress]

August 20, 2017
7:01 AM ET
Sarah McCammon

... Chris Gaumer, a former Student Government Association president and 2006 graduate, said it was a simple decision.

"I'm sending my diploma back because the president of the United States is defending Nazis and white supremacists," Gaumer said. "And in defending the president's comments, Jerry Falwell Jr. is making himself and .. the university .. complicit" ...

... Rebekah Tilley graduated from Liberty in 2002 and now works in higher education in Iowa.

"I was to the point where I didn't even want to include my alma mater on my resume when I was applying for jobs, just because I think that can be so loaded," Tilley said. "There's such a strong affiliation now between Liberty University and President Trump that you know that reflects badly on all alumni" ...

http://www.npr.org/2017/08/20/544776964/some-liberty-university-grads-are-returning-their-diplomas-to-protest-trump

[sheshe2]

1. K&R

[underpants]

2. Drove right by the main campus on Friday. Thanks for all the money kiddos

Massive expansion. The dorms finished a few years ago block out the horizon on route 460. They added a fake ski slope about 10 years ago. There's a new admin building (Jeffersonian type design) on a hill overlooking the campus. A giant new fieldhouse/indoor track has been completed. And...there's some sort of tower being finished. My wife calls it "the rocket to Heaven" - her family has a long history with the Falwells.

ON EDIT - I've run into several Liberty grads over the years. The only thing they seem to have learned there is self righteousness.

[drray23]

3. its not worth the paper its printed on anyway.

If I see that on a resume it goes directly to the trash pile.

[bitterross]

14. Are any of its programs accredited?

I need to look into this just so I know. For me, when I graduated, it was a MUST to be graduating from an accredited program. I graduated with a Bachelors in SCIENCE though. I'm NOT knocking liberal arts and the BA though. Those are valid and worthy degrees for many fields. Just not for my field of engineering.

It is just that a place with a Biblical world view is roughly 2000 years behind in science for the most part.

[yellowcanine]

45. The Evolutionary Biology programs receives top ratings!

From Answers in Genesis!

[sharedvalues]

37. Who would interview a Liberty graduate

For a job outside of GOP politics?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. Too bad they weren't better informed back when they

applied to that school.

This is a bit like regretful Trump voters. Anyone who paid any attention whatsoever about the entire point of higher education would immediately understand that Liberty U is simply not a respectable college, or one that provides even a modicum of real learning.

And I wonder exactly what his job in "higher education in Iowa" is.

[Tanuki]

15. When "they applied to that school," they were 16- or 17-year old kids

still heavily influenced by their parents, churches, teachers, and guidance counselors. Many of them probably attended private, fundamentalist "Christian schools" and had little exposure to anything else. Some of these students have apparently been open to exploring other information and values once they were out of that cocoon and I applaud the fact that they are taking a stand to condemn hatred. They are resisting, too.

[Docreed2003]

31. Amen! Seems like these kids have broken away from those beliefs...

And should be supported for their current actions, not blasted because they went to Liberty University!

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

32. That's true.

And even well outside the fundamentalist bubble, a LOT of parents insist their kids only attend one specific school, major in what the parent thinks the kid should major in, and so on.

[sharedvalues]

38. True. They deserve credit.

[workinclasszero]

28. Agree with that

WTH were they thinking, going there at any point in time LOL

[dalton99a]

5. Falwell is No. 2 in salary ranking

http://www.newsadvance.com/townnews/university/falwell-is-no-in-salary-ranking/article_5d7ee779-e8fe-58fc-add8-ff72767efbc3.html

Falwell was paid $926,634.

The national average for compensation was $512,987 for presidents working the full calendar year.

[bagimin]

6. k&r

[paleotn]

7. Nice to hear, but....

their "degrees", if you want to call them that, weren't worth anything anyway. It's a money making scheme and propaganda finishing school masquerading as a university. The only institution I can think of that's worse is Bob Jones.

[turbinetree]

11. I can think of Oral Roberts being in the same "boat", and I think that BYU and University of Utah

should be put in the same "boat".

[paleotn]

13. Crap! How could I forget Oral Roberts!

The name alone writes its own sophomoric humor. I'm not as familiar with BYU outside of college football, but I thought UU was just a normal, state university.

[turbinetree]

18. Not quite for UU, when it comes to money lots of money Utah Billionaire Jon Huntsman

like the Koch's at George Mason and the University of Florida, the Devos clan in Michigan, and then the Popes down in North Carolina

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

33. George Mason University, where my older son is

now enrolled in a PhD program in physics, is also a public university. As is the University of Florida. And so on.

Alas, since states have been systematically cutting back on funding of public universities for decades now, they need to accept money wherever they can get it.

[sharedvalues]

39. See unkochmycampus.org for Mason details

[Marengo]

17. UU is a propaganda finishing school?

[alp227]

21. oh come on

The U of Utah is a public university

[turbinetree]

22. Just like the U in Florida and the Koch's

[Blue_true]

25. I am a UF grad. You're wrong. Kochs may set up an institute or two

but the University scale is enormous and the population of students, professors and non professorial professional so diverse in race, ethnic makeup and political views for the Kochs have a problem controlling it.

[Ligyron]

29. Yup, the University of Florida is a top notch school.

Now Florida State...

[Blue_true]

36. Academically, Florida State is ok.

It was the first university in Florida to have a Nobel Prize winner (Dirac). It has one of the top advanced clean energy research programs in the world. And because it was once the Florida women's college, a lot of the old line Florida prominent families still send their kids there.

[sharedvalues]

40. Unkochmycampus.org

But U Florida isn't totally captured by the Koches. Yet.

[a la izquierda]

42. wow, really?

University of Utah is a very good school. But let's just group them with the Mormons and call it a day.

[democratisphere]

8. "Christian" insitutional frauds supporting hatred.

Diplomas should be used as kindling.

[MyNameGoesHere]

9. No no no no!

You're sending it back because you're now associated with something you knew all along. You got caught. You silently enabled. You earned that degree. Live with it.

[sharedvalues]

41. They were young. Falwell and GOP donors are to blame. They are adults.

[milestogo]

10. A sense of shame is the first step.

[IronLionZion]

12. University president to students: Arm yourselves

"End those Muslims before they walk in and kill us"

[dalton99a]

19. Such august institution of higher learning

[Worktodo]

20. Besides the religious angle

"Monday morning quarterbacking" a mass shooting is in poor taste.

[usaf-vet]

16. What amazes me is that it took so long.

Took so long for them to realize that Liberty University has alway been out of the mainstream for universities. The only liberties I've ever seen from the Falwell's is spoken as hate and contempt for anyone who doesn't agree 100% with them. Using the bible and religion as a weapons for intimidation.

[yurbud]

23. Is it even an accredited school?

[struggle4progress]

24. yes

http://www.sacscoc.org/details.asp?instid=43000

[Gothmog]

26. Those degrees are worthless

[MichMan]

27. Returning a piece of paper is meaningless

Returning a piece of paper is meaningless if you used that diploma to apply and get hired for a job. Who cares that you returned the actual document as long as you took advantage of having the degree.

[FSogol]

30. Um, it is symbolic to show the school your displeasure?

[Ilsa]

34. My guess is only the Board of Regents

can fix this, and I doubt they'd want to.

[Homer Wells]

35. My niece told me that attending Liberty

University made her an atheist.

[Danascot]

43. A fake degree

for a fake president from a fake school.

[Blue_Tires]

44. Exactly what kind of university did they they think LU was?