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Originally Posted by Kevin Rainbow
How does that apply to a non-student who is on vacation?
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Non-student--see page 2 of
The Liberty Way code of conduct:
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All members of the Liberty University community are asked to affirm the following:
"We have a responsibility to uphold the moral and ethical standards of Liberty University and personally confront those who do not."
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On vacation--see p. 6:
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Liberty University policies are in effect at all times, including summer break and school breaks (e.g. weekends, holidays, fall break, Christmas break, spring break, etc.).
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I agree that this whole thing would be making a mountain out of a molehill, if not for two things:
First is the fact that Jerry Falwell, Jr., and Liberty University--with the enthusiastic approval of many prominent Southern Baptists--have set aggressively prudish and humorless standards for modesty and alcoholic beverages.
He, and not his liberal critics, said that these things are unacceptably sinful.
He has been merciless and unforgiving toward others' mild, innocent lapses of judgment. Yes, it was a joke, but the joke was that he was making a very public mockery of the code of conduct to which he holds others--with very real and punitive consequences for them, in contrast with his own expectation that no one was powerful enough to impose consequences on him. The hypocrisy is hard to overlook. And the people who tend to rankle most about hypocrisy are not outsiders, but insiders. The people calling for his resignation or removal were religious conservatives, not liberals.
Second, this incident comes after several well-publicized instances of Falwell's poor judgment harming the Liberty University brand (not to mention the image of Southern Baptists, Republicans, and Christians in general). Many of his former supporters have been growing increasingly upset with Falwell's behavior and statements over the past two years, and especially after his KKK joke in May caused several Black employees to quit in protest. Conservatives who had merely expressed their disapproval about Falwell's shenanigans before are now saying enough's enough--either because they are tired of his lack of propriety and self-control, or because they are concerned that he is giving liberal opponents so much ammunition to use against him (and them).