Editorial: Bullying those who have contrary views

Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2001 | 8:47 a.m.

On Oct. 22 military recruiters were on the campus of UNLV's Boyd Law School for a job fair to see if they could find students willing to serve as military lawyers. The Marines never made their presentation to recruit for judge advocate general (JAG) officers, though.

University Regent Tom Kirkpatrick said that he's been told that the Marines' presentation was interrupted by university administrators who objected to the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gay soldiers. School administrators and faculty talked and laughed loudly, and turned up the sound on a video, which prevented the Marines from being heard, according to Kirkpatrick. Law school Dean Richard Morgan said that faculty members who attended the event claim that such a disruption didn't occur, but Morgan's characterization isn't convincing.

Kirkpatrick has called for the Board of Regents to review the incident, an investigation that we believe should be thorough and get to the bottom of the matter. Universities shouldn't tolerate, in any way, faculty members or students who try to stifle thought on campuses. After all, a university is supposed to be a bastion for fostering an unfettered, free flow of ideas -- not a shabby place where people and their ideas are shouted down. Furthermore, there is no excuse for bad manners.