Stanford Investigating Student Who Was Caught…(Checks Notes)…READING ON CAMPUS.

Universities are freaking OUT OF CONTROL.

According to the sourcelink, an “administrative intervention” is happening on the Stanford campus after a photo started going around of a student caught reading Hitler’s Mein Kampf in public.

I am not making this up.

Apparently, reading a book by one of the most famous madmen in the universe is frowned upon, despite the fact that this book used to be required reading for students of history, so that history wouldn’t repeat itself. It used to be something that teachers would have students read, so that they could then RIP IT TO SHREDS appropriately.

According to the university newspaper, two campus rabbis alerted Jewish students about the HORRIFIC READING INCIDENT, and reassured them that administrators were quickly working to “address” the situation. There’s some sort of online “bias reporting” system through which people can tattle on each other at Stanford, and this nefarious book reading incident was reported through that system.

Now, the Office of Student Affairs points out that this kind of intervention/investigation isn’t a judicial process. They’re simply there to help offenders “participate in one of a ‘menu’ of exercises like ‘mediated conversations, restorative justice sessions, or Indigenous circle practices,’ to ‘help move towards resolution.’”

There are not enough eyerolls.

Essentially, administrators will be not necessarily be officially disciplining the student for reading, but the student will be notified that he/she has been accused of “harm.” The student will be asked to acknowledge that harm and then participate in “restorative justice-type exercises.” WHAT THE ACTUAL EFF.

Not sure what happens if the student refuses to do those things. The folks at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression have asked Stanford to clarify and sent them a letter stating, in part:

The power differential between university administrators and students is significant. When the Office of Student Affairs, which has disciplinary authority, formally contacts a student about a complaint filed about their conduct and asks them to engage in a reconciliation process to address alleged harm, that student is unlikely to interpret the request as genuinely voluntary. Rather, such an invitation strongly suggests a student’s actions were problematic, and they may accordingly self-censor.

This process is not conducive to the atmosphere of free expression Stanford not only commits to, but is required to provide by California’s Leonard Law.

They also said, rightly:

We view the Stanford situation in a similar light. Universities cannot institute Orwellian reporting systems that pressure students to confess, “take accountability,” and promise to “change” — all for reading the wrong book.

FIRE has requested a response from Stanford by the first of February.  We’ll have to see if they DO get a response.   

I’m of the opinion that book banning is a dangerous thing.  I get that conservatives do and should take issue with indoctrination in K-12 schools, and that books about trans issues or critical race theory, etc. are often targeted for removal.  But in the right context, a discussion about those things is appropriate for more senior level students, AS LONG AS it’s a balanced discussion.  So, for example, in a political science class for seniors, I think it’d be perfectly fine to assign students to read a book about anti-racism AS LONG AS the counter point is provided and discussed.  That’s what critical thinking is all about.  Banning books?  Not really a fan.  Balanced classes?  YES.  ESPECIALLY when the nature of the course makes those discussions suitable.  There is obviously never a time when it makes sense to talk about trans issues or CRT with kindergartners.

Anyway, under NO circumstances should a student at any university EVER be penalized for reading a historical book.  This is full-on batsh*ttery.  The end.