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One School I’m Glad I Don’t Go To

Jill

Liberty University. Talk about fear of sex. Check out their code of conduct, and let’s consider what kind of values it demonstrates (this list is compressed):

A $10 fine and four reprimands for:
-Violating the “hair code” (that is, long “feminine” hair for men, or too-short “manly” haircuts for women)
-Horseplay
-“Unauthorized borrowing” (where I come from, we call this “stealing”)
-Improper personal contact (anything beyond hand-holding)

A $25 fine and six reprimands for:
-Going to a dance
-Improper social behavior (why do I have a feeling that most Liberty University students aren’t exactly skilled at what’s considered “normal” social behavior?)

A $50 fine and twelve reprimands for:
-Attending or possessing an R- or NC-17-rated film
-Entering the space above ceiling tiles (what?)
-Participation in an unauthorized petition or demonstration
-Students of the opposite sex visiting alone at an off-campus residence
-Possession and/or viewing of sexually explicit material

A $250 fine, 18 reprimands and 18 hours of community service for:
-Association with those consuming alcohol
-Committing a misdemeanor
-Racial or sexual harassment
-Sexual misconduct and/or any state of undress (get naked, get fined)
-Entering bedroom of the opposite sex on/off campus or allowing the same

A $500 fine, 30 reprimands, 30 hours community service, possible administrative withdrawal:
-Abortion
-Sexual assault
-Committing a felony
-Failure of three Christian/Community Services without reconciliation
-Drug possession
-Involvement with witchcraft, séances or other occultic activities
-“Immorality” (I think this means fucking)
-Spending the night with a person of the opposite sex (otherwise known as “immorality”)
-Refusing an alcohol or drug test
-Unauthorized weapon possession
-Possessing or consuming alcohol

Huh. Now I realize that private schools are generally allowed to limit the Constitutional rights of their students. But a fine for signing a petition or protesting or visiting a member of the opposite sex off campus? A fine for doing anything more than holding hands? Holding abortion, “involvement in witchcraft” (aka any non-patriarchal religion), consuming alcohol and refusing a drug test on par with committing a felony or sexually assaulting someone? Damn. If I went to Liberty, I’d be considered as bad as a rapist for what I’m doing this very second.*

I *heart* Falwellian “values.”

*that is, practicing witchcraft while having my 100th abortion and simultaneously refusing a drug test. All while blogging. Feminists, you know.

44 thoughts on One School I’m Glad I Don’t Go To

  1. Wow, all these fines associated with immoral behaviour with folks of the opposite sex, and not one mention of homosexuality? I see a loophole.

    Also, the reprimands and fines for manly haircuts on women are confusing. Hair doesn’t grow long overnight. Do women who get inappropriate haircuts get fined and reprimanded every day until their hair reaches an appropriate length?

  3. Oh, for sure. It’s just odd that that isn’t spelled out…seeing as other types of immoral sexual behaviour are described explicitly.

    And under “curiouser and curiouser” – I wasn’t aware that universities, even private ones, got to choose the punishment for “committing a felony”. Was under the impression that the courts took care of that, and that they’d usually dish out a harsher punishment than 30 hours of community service, a pile of reprimants, “possible administrative withdrawal”, and a $500 fine.

  4. Watch out for what you criticize: when you take the bar exam, graduates of schools like that will be the sacrificial lambs who flunk in large numbers and enhance your own chances. I remember one bar review speaker in Texas who said, “Yes, around 25% fail, but remember that many of those people are from the unaccredited and Christian law schools.”

  7. Now I realize that private schools are generally allowed to limit the Constitutional rights of their students.

    Well, yeah, considering the Constitution places limits on *government* actions. The limits in the Constitution are in place because we cannot freely disassociate from our government without great hardship. Students attend Liberty University of their own volition and freely accept those rules as part of the condition of their attendance. They are also free to end their association with Liberty University at any time for any reason they please. (And before anyone tries to make a stupid point, Liberty U takes its name from the seat of Bedford County, which was once called Liberty.)

  8. And under “curiouser and curiouser” – I wasn’t aware that universities, even private ones, got to choose the punishment for “committing a felony”.

    The school assesses its punishment in addition to whatever sanction the legal system may assess, not in lieu of.

  9. David’s right. You know the rules going in.

    Whereas is certain universities, it’s not until you get there and open your mouth outside of a “free speech zone” that you realize you’ve wandered into an Orwellian nightmare where it is more important to tolerate everyone else’s opinion than it is to forcefully debate the issues of the day.

  10. So what is the punishment for being molested by a Priest?

    Actually bad jokes aside, I don’t mind if they impose these rules. I am sure the kids going there know what they are getting into, and if not then they kinda deserve what they get. It could be worse, they could have to go to school at someplace REALLY bad, like (insert rival school here).

    🙂

  12. Students attend Liberty University of their own volition and freely accept those rules as part of the condition of their attendance. They are also free to end their association with Liberty University at any time for any reason they please.

    I’m sure most do, I wonder how many are forced to go there by their parents. When most 18 year olds couldn’t dream of paying for their own University, parents get a pretty large say if they have their own ideas.

  17. So sexual hararassment isn’t as serious as an interest in Wicca? That’s telling. I bet if someone harasses witches they’d get off scott free. Sheesh, all you get is a slap on the wrist, a fine, and some community service for sexual or racial harassment. I know a college student who got caught drunk at another college, who was threatened with expulsion from his housing if he did it again. He did, and nothing happened. I have a feeling those “rules” aren’t enforced, no matter what college you go to.

    I know someone whose son goes to Liberty University. Geez, more young people becoming shills for the ultra-conservative Religious Right. Just what we need.

  18. I like how they assume everyone who goes to Liberty University is straight. What if you come out while at Liberty? Are you fined $250.00 and sent to counseling?

  19. When most 18 year olds couldn’t dream of paying for their own University, parents get a pretty large say if they have their own ideas.

    In that case, they can go work during the day and take a class or three where they wish at night. It will take more than four years, but it’s no different than the 18-year-old whose parents simply don’t have the money to begin with.

  20. In that case, they can go work during the day and take a class or three where they wish at night. It will take more than four years, but it’s no different than the 18-year-old whose parents simply don’t have the money to begin with.

    But wouldn’t that entail going against their parents’ wishes? I should think that would be a big no-no.

  21. Geez, more young people becoming shills for the ultra-conservative Religious Right. Just what we need.

    Tell me about it. Kids today have it all backwards.

    You go to college, you become an idiot liberal with a soft heart, you take a lot of drugs and have a lot of wild sex. And then you grow up, get a job, reject idiot liberalism, start taking drugs quietly at home and have a lot of hot married sex, and vote for warmongers.

    What are the Liberty kids gonna do, start growing pot in their basement at age 32?

  23. Program on the emergence of civilization.

    “14 species of large animals capable of domesitcation in the history of mankind.
    13 from Europe, Asia and northern Africa.
    None from the sub-Saharan African continent. ”
    Favor.
    And disfavor.

    They point out Africans’ failed attempts to domesticate the elephant and zebra, the latter being an animal they illustrate that had utmost importance for it’s applicability in transformation from a hunting/gathering to agrarian-based civilization.

    The roots of racism are not of this earth.

    Austrailia, aboriginals:::No domesticable animals.

    The North American continent had none. Now 99% of that population is gone.

    AIDS in Africa.

    Organizational Heirarchy
    Heirarchical order, from top to bottom:

    1. MUCK – perhaps have experienced multiple universal contractions (have seen multiple big bangs), creator of the artificial intelligence humans ignorantly refer to as “god”
    2. Perhaps some mid-level alien management
    3. Evil/disfavored aliens – runs day-to-day operations here and perhaps elsewhere

    Terrestrial management:

    4. Chinese/egyptians – this may be separated into the eastern and western worlds
    5. Romans – they answer to the egyptians
    6. Mafia – the real-world interface that constantly turns over generationally so as to reinforce the widely-held notion of mortality
    7. Jews, corporation, women, politician – Evidence exisits to suggest mafia management over all these groups.

    Movies foreshadowing catastrophy
    1985 James Bond View to a Kill 1989 San Francisco Loma Prieta earthquake.

    Many Muslims are being used like the Germans and Japanese of WWII::being used to hurt others and envoke condemnation upon their people.

    They can affect the weather and Hurricane Katrina was accomplished for many reasons and involves many interests, as anything this historical is::
    1. Take heat off Sheenhan/Iraq, protecting profitable war machine/private war contracts
    2. Gentrification. New Orleans median home price of $84k is among the lowest in major American cities, certainly among desirable cities.

    Our society gives clues to the system in place. We all have heard the saying “He has more money than god.” There is also an episode of the Simpsons where god meets Homer and says “I’m too old and rich for this.”

    This is the system on earth because this is the system everywhere.
    god is evil because of money.

    I don’t want to suggest the upper eschelons are evil and good is the fringe.

    But they have made it abundantly clear that doing business with evil (disfavored) won’t help people. They say only good would have the ear, since evil is struggling for survival, and therefore only the favored could help me.

    The clues are there which companies are favored and which are disfavored, market domination being one clue, but they conceal it very hard because it is so crucial.

    I offer an example of historical proportions:::

    People point to Walmart and cry “anti-union”.

    Unions enable disfavored people to live satisfactorly without addressing their disfavor. This way their family’s problems are never resolved. Without the union they would have to accept the heirarchy, their own inferiority.
    Unions serve to empower.
    Walmart is anti-union because they are good. They try to help people address and resolve their problems.
    Media ridicule and lawsuits are creations to reinforce people’s belief that Walmart is evil (disfavored).
    I believe the coining of the term “Uncle Sam” was a clue alluding to just this.
    The middle class is being deceived. They are being misled into the unfavored, and subsequently will have no hope.

    Amercia is a country of castoffs, rejects. Italy sent its criminals. Malcontents.
    Between the thrones, the klans and kindred, they “decided” who they didn’t want and acted, creating discontent and/or starvation.
    The u.s. is full of disfavored rejects. It is the reason for the myriad of problems not found in European countries. As far as the Rockafellers and other industrialists of the 19th century go, I suspect these aren’t their real names. I suspect they were chosen to go and head this new empire.

    Royalty is the right way to organize a society. Dictatorships and monarchies are a reflection of the antient’s hierarchical organization.
    Positions go to those who have favor with the rulers, as opposed to being elected.
    Elections bring a false sense of how the world is. Democracy misleads people.
    Which is why the disfavored rejects were sent to the shores of America::To keep them on the wrong path.

    Jesus Christ is a religious figure of evil. These seperatist churches formed so they could still capture the rest of the white people, keeping them worshipping the wrong god.
    And now they do it to people of color, Latinos and Asians, after centuries of preying upon them.

    Since Buddism doesn’t recongnize a god, the calls are never heard, and Chinese representation is instead selected by the thrones.
    It was set up this way. Perhaps dyanstic thrones had a say, but maybe not.
    Budda was the Asian’s Jesus Christ::: bad for the people. “They came up at the same time for a reason.”

    Simpson’s foreshadowing::Helloween IV special, Flanders is Satan. “Last one you ever suspect.”
    “You’ll see lots of nuns where you’re going:::hell!!!” St. Wigham, Helloween VI, missionary work, destroying cultures.
    Over and over, the Simpsons was a source of education and enlightenment, a target of ridicule by the system which wishes to conceal its secrets.

    Jews maim the body formed in the image of “god”, and inflicted circumsision upon all other white people, as well as the evil that is Jesus Christ.
    I think about how Jews (were used to) created homosexuality among Slavics, retribution for the Holocaust.
    Then I think of the Catholic Church and its troubles.
    What connection is here between Jews and the Catholic church???
    And if it is their sinister motives that’s behind the evil that is Jesus Christ are they being used at all?
    Perhaps it is them who are pulling strings.

    I believe Islam is the one true religion, and those misled christians who attack “god’s” most favored people will pay for it dearly one day.

  24. Hey, what Liberty University does to punish its students is, while amusing, hardly anything for me to worry about–although I suppose I’d draw the line at torture! Of course, it was also a chuckle to read the conservatives rushing to defend Liberty U’s policies.

  25. Terrestrial management:

    4. Chinese/egyptians – this may be separated into the eastern and western worlds
    5. Romans – they answer to the egyptians
    6. Mafia – the real-world interface that constantly turns over generationally so as to reinforce the widely-held notion of mortality
    7. Jews, corporation, women, politician – Evidence exisits to suggest mafia management over all these groups.

    Damn you Goldstein! I thought there was something up with you loitering over here, you are in cahoots with these wenches!

  26. Attending or possessing an R- or NC-17-rated film

    So you get in trouble for seeing The Passion of the Christ? Oh, right–it was made by Catholics.

  27. If I went to this school I’d owe them $6600, and have 474 reprimands. Due to

    Five R-rated movies (4 in possession, 1 seen)
    2 petitions signed (since the semester began)
    2 “associations with those consuming alcohol”
    2 “states of undress” (does masturbation count as “sexual misconduct?” Better make that 3.)(Today, that is. Not trying to count the whole semester.)(Is there an exemption for showers and changing?)
    As best as I can count, 7 “involvements” with witchcraft (well it’s my religion, of course I’m involved with it!)(That I’d get caught at; I doubt anyone can tell whether I’m praying to Jesus or Isis.)
    3 consumptions of alcohol.

    And that doesn’t even count sexually explicit material, which I’m not sure CAN be counted (mostly my own artwork).

    Extortionists.

  28. I like the fact that if one group of Africans has camels above the Sahara and another group has them below, they won’t be counted, or if one group has cows below the Sahara they won’t be counted either. Oh well, better than the Phoenicians came in and built the Great Zimbwawe myth. The Liberty University students have it tough- that’s messed up.

  29. “Students attend Liberty University of their own volition and freely accept those rules as part of the condition of their attendance. They are also free to end their association with Liberty University at any time for any reason they please.”

    Most of these kids come from conservative Christian families. Many of them attended Christian schools or were home-schooled. They may not have known all the options for higher education because their loving, protective families or their schools have kept information from them. They may not realize that when they climb “Liberty Mountain,” they are signing away the Bill of Rights (including freedom to assemble, etc.).

    How do I know this? My husband attended the school.

    When he enrolled, Liberty’s admission standards were lax (to say the least), so the school captured a lot of confused Christian kids who lacked the resources or the foresight to plan ahead for college. The Christian high school my husband attended had no guidance counselor and no information on colleges other than places like Liberty and Pensacola and Bob Jones; his family wouldn’t pay for him to attend anything but a Christian college anyway. He had been subject to rules like Liberty’s all through high school, so the rules didn’t strike him as extraordinarily restrictive. (The goal of this type of “education” is not to educate, but to perpetuate a state of childlike innocence and respect for authority.)

    So, yeah, maybe if my husband had a greater degree of independence when he was a teenager or a greater awareness of the big, wide world out there, he could have told his family, “Thanks but no thanks” for the offer of college tuition. Maybe he could have made up the gaps in his education and realized what rights he was being asked to give up. But he didn’t. Under the circumstances, I’m not sure how free (or at least informed) his acceptance was. Maybe today’s incoming Liberty student are more aware of the rules and their implications. But I suspect that even today some kids may not know what they’re getting into.

    One thing you ought to know about that $500 fine level: one of the offenses right up there with committing a felony is failing to perform Christian/Community Service. Back in my husband’s day, Christian Service included answering the phones for the good Rev’s “Old-Time Gospel Hour” and shilling his tapes and products.

  30. Following Kyra’s lead:

    205 reprimands, $2030 in fines, 90 h community service. Oh wait. “For each accumulation of six or more reprimands after 30, an additional $150 fine will be assessed.” Make that $3830 in fines.

    Curfew violation

    Allowing unauthorized overnight visitor in residence room
    Improper personal contact (anything beyond hand-holding)
    Music code violation

    Attendance at, possession or viewing of, an “R,” “NC-17” or “X”-rated movie
    Deception
    Out of residence hall overnight or substantial portion of the night without permission (after 2:00 a.m.)
    Participation in an unauthorized petition or demonstration
    Students of the opposite sex visiting alone at an off-campus residence

    Obscene, profane or abusive language or behavior

    Association with those consuming alcohol
    Entering a residence hall apartment or quad of the opposite sex or allowing the same
    Entering bedroom of the opposite sex on/off campus or allowing the same
    Sexual misconduct and/or any state of undress

    Spending the night with a person of the opposite sex

    And I thought my life was so tame.

  32. Think I’m missing something with your math, Pang. According to my interpretation of the rules, 175 excess reprimands (that is, all the ones past thirty) equals 29 full groups of six reprimands, resulting in 29*150 in increased fines or $4350, which, added to your original assessment of $2030, would be $6380.
    I’m at $18,685, 658 demerits and 36 hours of community service. Now don’t you think Liberty U. ought to put an automatic reprimand calculator up there so you can figure out how much sin you can afford?

  33. Somehow I think they’ve got their priorities messed up if the punishment for drinking alcohol is the same as sexual assault or committing any other kind of felony. It also kind of debases their entire “pro-life” philosophy if drinking alcohol is in the same category as “having an abortion.”

  34. Oh, keep in mind also that Liberty U. is generally a “school of last resort” for young conservative evangelicals. They’re known for being the school that will “give you a chance” when all others have turned you away. So while the punishments may seem unfair, the truth is that Liberty U. is probably one of the only opportunities those students will have to attend any kind of higher education outside of a community college, so they’re perhaps more willing to deal with the restrictions.

  35. (Local Network T.V. affiliate Sports Announcer, Chet Wiley, live at Liberty University)

    Chet Wiley: “Chet Wiley here at Liberty University and standing with me is Epididymus Woodcock of Gobbler’s Knob, Tennessee who about to undertake a first here at the University. Tell us about it Eppy. It is Eppy right?

    Eppy: “Yes Eppy is fine, Chet. And Chet I am about to attempt a run of the Liberty University’s code of conduct. It is my goal to violate every rule put forth by this august school in the next 12 hours.

    Chet Wiley: Weelll, that is quite a feat Eppy. Tell me how do intend to pull this off?

    Eppy: Well, Chet two things planning and preparation, but mostly planning seeing as I need to violate the entire code prior to being taken into custody by the campus police or burned at the stake by fellow students. I have also stashed away some items that I will need for violations about the campus. You know the motto: Always be prepared.

    Chet Wiley: Sounds like it might be dangerous Eppy.

    Eppy: It might be Chet but I have remain strong and stay within in the boundaries I have set myself here.

    Chet Wily: And that is….

    Eppy: To stop short of physical violence Chet. As you know one of the violations is to commit a felony but I refuse to commit an act of violence against my fellow man.

    Chet Wiley: That could be tough there Eppy.

    Eppy: Yes Chet, but I see it as a challenge to push the envelope but not go too far, and I intend to do that through vandalism!

    Chet Wiley: No kidding!

    Eppy: Exactly Chet, but I do not want give too much away.

    Chet Wiley: Come on Eppy give us a summary of your routine today.

    Eppy: “Well okay Chet. This is the plan. First, I usually get a haircut every two weeks but as of this morning I have missed my haircut and it is longer than it has been since I started school. I expect to get some confused looks from my fellow students.

    Chet Wiley: and next?

    Eppy: “I will next taunt a random male student with the insult ‘Your mother reads the NIV’.” Followed up running through the Student Union at a reckless speed, leaping over a couch, barely missing the lamp sitting next to it.

    Chet Wiley: “and the improper personal contact?

    Eppy: “patting a girl on the behind at the far of the Student Union”

    Chet Wiley: “Ohhh, nice transition there Eppy, horseplay and improper personal contact with a nice touch of sexual harassment. .

    Eppy: After that I intend to drop off a petition for condom vending machines in the dorm bathrooms at the administrative building, and immediately run into the quad to perform an American Indian Hoop Dance, while waving a placard saying: ‘Harry Potter books in the Library NOW’ on it.”

    Chet Wiley: Ohhh, bold, creative and tacky there Eppy. I like the touch of diversity there with the hat tip to American Indians. Very nice.

    Eppy: “Thanks Chet. I knew I would never get invited to dance so I had to blatantly dance in a public forum…. Oh, next I will drop a copy of ‘9 and ½ Weeks’ wrapped in a Playboy on the ground and run back to nearest women’s dorm where I have hidden women’s clothes.

    Chet Wiley: (Gasp)

    Eppy: I know Chet but as I said you sometimes push the envelope. I will put on the women’s clothes, of course exposing myself in process, and then sneak into the women’s dorm, make my way into the roof above the ceiling tiles and drop into a girls room. And then to finish I will flee the dorm and run to the University library where I will deface the South wall by repeatedly spraying ‘Eat me!’, while swilling warm beer. If I have not actually been tackled and subdued, I hope to be able to lead my would-be captors on a chase to the nearest Planned Parenthood where I will assist a woman into the doors in full view of the protestors.

  37. -Entering the space above ceiling tiles (what?)

    In my freshman dorms the ceilings were suspended, and you could take out the acoustic tiles (which I did until the RA cited firecodes at me). They weren’t strong enough to go wandering around on, but perhaps LU dorms are more solidly built.

    I imagine it’s like the restriction at my school not to wander around in the steam tunnels. The punishment for that was expulsion, deletion of your transcripts, and criminal prosecution.

  38. “where it is more important to tolerate everyone else’s opinion than it is to forcefully debate the issues of the day.”

    Uh, yeah. This is a good thing. Remember, tolerating everyone’s opinion means YOURS gets tolerated too. “Forceful debate,” presented here as the alternative to toleration, usually means to shout other people down and interrupt other people. If you can’t debate civility without being “forceful”, I can see you have a hard time finding people to debate with.

  39. Remember, tolerating everyone’s opinion means YOURS gets tolerated too.

    This is an ideal in theory but not necessarily in practice. It is also necessarily contradictory.

  41. Going to a dance
    Attending or possessing an R- or NC-17-rated film
    -Participation in an unauthorized petition or demonstration
    -Students of the opposite sex visiting alone at an off-campus residence
    Association with those consuming alcohol
    -Entering bedroom of the opposite sex on/off campus or allowing the same….

    “Liberty” University?? Talk about a misnomer!

  42. I perform character and fitness investigations on people applying for the bar (someone above mentioned this). I discovered the rules of this particular college after working on a file in which the student (who is female) was fined and disciplined for wearing pants and for missing two church services. It sounded as if they were expected to go more than once a week. I had to google the school because it sounded so outrageous I thought maybe the applicant was exaggerating. She wasn’t. I have a feeling a lot of kids go to these schools because it’s the only way they’ll get any financial help from their parents.

  43. When I went to an Army school that shall remain nameless the ceiling tiles were dropped and if you moved them aside, you could conceal contraband up there.

  44. Following Kyra’s lead:

    205 reprimands, $2030 in fines, 90 h community service. Oh wait. “For each accumulation of six or more reprimands after 30, an additional $150 fine will be assessed.” Make that $3830 in fines.

    My co-blogger, Baltar calculated the cost of a date at $2800 (less the cost of the hotel room and condoms).

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