Fresno State alumnus writes home from D.C.: ‘I hope Randa Jarrar just resigns’

Next month will mark 20 years since I graduated from Fresno State. Since then, I’ve moved to Washington, D.C., to begin my professional career, which has allowed me the privilege to serve the great people of our country at the highest levels of the U.S. Congress.

As a Fresno State alumnus, I’m never shy about where I came from and my Valley roots. In fact, I probably mirror the university’s marketing slogan and am “bold” in proclaiming my love for the Bulldogs. People back East ask me all the time about what it was like watching the Jerry Tarkanian’s teams when I attended the school, or what I think of the Carr brothers, Paul George, and most recently, Aaron Judge.

But the last week, people have been asking me about something else about Fresno State. Something, that quiet frankly, is embarrassing. They’ve been asking me about Professor Randa Jarrar’s despicable comments after our former First Lady Barbara Bush died last week. Last year, it was about former history professor Lars Maischak.

Of course, being a Republican, the standard default I’ve heard from colleagues and former alumni is if a conservative had said something like that, there would be utter chaos. But shouldn’t that standard apply anytime someone makes these types of insidious comments?

But I do believe a double standard applies. Back 20 years ago, I was a conservative activist and chairman of the College Republicans at Fresno State. I took the lead in protesting a visit to the campus by the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

One night, I posted fliers in protest to his visit in the University Student Union and around the Free Speech area. Much to my dismay, when I came to campus in the morning, the fliers were all removed after I exercised my First Amendment rights in the Free Speech area.

If that standard were applied today, Professor Jarrar would have been fired. But she wasn’t.

The university did the right thing by moving through with an investigation that afforded her a due process that wasn’t granted to me 20 years ago. She can rightfully claim a constitutional right to free speech. And honestly, the university was right to not fire her for her personal opinions, no matter how delusional they may be.

What I find more disconcerting is her past comments coming to light advocating violence and her misuse of a phone number to Arizona State. Claiming to be an untouchable tenured professor is a not only arrogant and irresponsible, it sets a horrible standard for the students she’s teaching.

Free speech guarantees you can’t be prosecuted for what you say. But it ends there, as it should. Free speech is a right and should be used responsibly.

As a professor at an institution of higher learning that is funded with the hard-earned taxpayer dollars of Californians, the people of California deserve better. It’s hypocritical to claim your free speech rights as a private citizen, and then hide behind your taxpayer funded job.

If a member of Congress or the state Assembly were to make such a statement, political opponents would be protesting and demanding their resignation. As well they should. And the politician probably would resign because it would be the honorable thing to do.

There is nothing honorable about talking ill of the dead because you disagree with them politically. President Joseph Castro was in a tough spot. Either fire her and run the risk of dragging this story out even longer and exposing the university we all love so much to more bad national press.

Not to mention, face a wrongful termination lawsuit the university probably can’t afford. Or, he could let her stay and run the risk of watching millions of dollars of donor funds and corporate sponsorships disappear under the hashtag #BoycottFresnoState.

We all know the old adage, it’s better to be quiet and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. I hope Jarrar just resigns and saves everyone, including herself from further embarrassment.

That would be the best for everyone involved and would serve as a reminder of the consequences for the next professor to think about before he or she posts something on social media shining a negative light on Fresno State and the Valley.

This story was originally published April 26, 2018 at 12:25 PM with the headline "Fresno State alumnus writes home from D.C.: ‘I hope Randa Jarrar just resigns’."