American college campuses aren’t places that are friendly to anyone to the right of Stalin, politically. That makes four years of college, to say nothing of any graduate studies one undertakes, somewhat awkward for right-leaning students. While they can get by, there’s always the weird specter of your politics coming back to bite you in the rump.
Now, it seems like that’s happening to a law school student at the University of North Texas.
Brandon Masin is a 25-year-old student at the University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law. He is the founder of the law school’s chapter of The Federalist Society, the only conservative student organization on campus.
On the evening of November 20th, 2018, while at an outing hosted by one of his professors for the holiday, Brandon received an email from the university stating that due to an alleged and unspecified threat he was immediately suspended and would have to meet with the school’s CARE team. He emailed several times asking procedural questions about the investigation as it was unfolding out of compliance with the university’s own policies and Due Process. He never received a response, only a date and time to meet with the team.
At the meeting the CARE team turned out to be the University’s Counselor and Chief of Police, he was vaguely questioned about the unspecified allegations, and after sticking by his denials, he was then questioned about his mental health. If he had any anger issues if he had a firearm, how many, why he felt the need to own firearms? If he was licensed to carry them, if he carried at the school, whether he felt unsafe at the school and if he ever open carried.
As the procedure rolled on, it turned out that Masin was accused of making a threat by a professor.
Despite ample evidence proving that he wasn’t even in the area at the time of the alleged threat, both by showing his phone and by having witnesses state he was with them at the time of the alleged incident, the school didn’t see fit to drop the allegations.
He denied making the threats and showed messages and GPS data showing he was elsewhere. Additionally, he had several students email the investigator validating not only his whereabouts but his character. When he asked the investigator about all of the procedural problems and the impossibility they presented him of raising a defense against an unspecified and anonymous allegation, the investigator informed him that she would investigate and follow up on everything.
He was the emailed later that day informing him that the CARE team considered him a threat while citing no actual reasons for this finding. The following day she issued her decision finding him responsible, citing no evidence for her decision other than not believing his denial and citing the fact that an anonymous accusation was made. She mentioned absolutely no other sources of information and did not mention the discrepancy in the time frame or the several witness accounts that were sent to her.
Masin has filed an appeal, but as the Ammoland story notes, that could hold off until after finals, which he could be dismissed due to the poor grade he received due to his suspension.
Yes, this is a pile of male bovine excrement, but this is life on college campuses. Couple this with other nonsense that takes place and is it any wonder that I’d rather my son not go to college?
But it certainly looks like he’s been suspended because he has guns. There’s no way this should stand, and Masin should be free to get back to work right away.
Unfortunately, I don’t get a say in the matter.
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