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[MetalSlimeHunt]

Shonus is most likely referring to the collaboration with the group that blocked roads, occupied a university building, and apparently attacked some biker.

[martinuzz]

Shonus is most likely referring to the collaboration with the group that blocked roads, occupied a university building, and apparently attacked some biker.

The attacked a biker part, okay, that's bad if true. Blocking roads and occupying a university building sounds like completely legit student protest though.
At least over here in the Netherlands, that would be completely normal and good behaviour for student protestors.

(Just one or two years ago students occupied a uiniversity building and the board of director's office for weeks, and managed to get the university CEO fired and replaced. That's like, business as usual here, at least since the 1960s, that's how you get fantastic student rights and student involvement in their university)

[sluissa]

Expelled for impersonating campus administration and putting out false statements.

[martinuzz]

He's not impersonating anyone, the satire is more than obvious. Besides, his internet character is named Joe Blumenthal, the real guy is named George 'Blumie' Blumenthal.

[sluissa]

Using pictures of the real guy though. And if it were obvious satire the real outrage would never have occurred.

[ChairmanPoo]

While, I am committed to Social Justice, I am still trying to figure out my role as a white ally,” he says. “I feel privileged because of my background, and I want to be careful not to whitesplain

[smjjames]

While, I am committed to Social Justice, I am still trying to figure out my role as a white ally,” he says. “I feel privileged because of my background, and I want to be careful not to whitesplain

Not sure I want to touch on that, not even with a 10 foot/yard/meter/preferred-unit-of-length pole.

[ChairmanPoo]

I honestly thought it was satire when I started reading that. Then it slowly dawned on me that  it was supposed to be heartfelt

[martinuzz]

The outrage was because of existing discontent with certain matters at university. The blog did not create the discontent out of thin air. It did serve exactly the role satire is made for: critisize establishment using humor as weapon.

Don't shoot the messenger.

That being said, one of the issues described, the whole Afrikan thing, is hard to imagine over here.
Protesting for affordable campus housing for those who are short on finances, sure, there's been lots of protests for that over the years, and they usually accomplished improvements.
But specifically protesting just for one minority part of a minority group, like affordable housing for poor African-American students? No way. Just protest with the rest of us for affordable dorms for poor people in general, not just poor black people. Segregation is bad mkay. I would not have gone to that protest as a sympathisant.

[Harry Baldman]

Expelled for impersonating campus administration and putting out false statements.

Really? Somebody better lock up Diamond Joe Biden's publicist as well in that case.

EDIT:

That being said, one of the issues described, the whole Afrikan thing, is hard to imagine over here.

I was puzzled as well, but that looks like it was a misspelling of African as opposed to a misspelling of Afrikaner.

Can't really find more info about the motorcyclist though, although this article says some person got their nose broken for crossing the picket line and like four people got arrested. Nothing about the previous year as well, so looks like that might have been the protest in question.

[Gizogin]

I'm not sure there's such a thing as "obvious" when it comes to satire. What seems so patently absurd as to be clearly parodic in the eyes of one will inevitably be seen as serious or even reasonable to another; such is the observation encapsulated in Poe's Law.

As for the use of real photos, unless they were stolen or otherwise obtained illegally or in violation of university policy or copyright, there's nothing wrong there. Spreading false information could fall under libel, but the onus is then on the university or on Blumenthal to prove that it was spread maliciously, knowingly, and at material detriment to the affected party. Even then, parody and opinion get pretty broad considerations, so it'd be hard to make any charges stick; the same goes for any accusation of impersonation.

[sluissa]

Expelled for impersonating campus administration and putting out false statements.

Really? Somebody better lock up Diamond Joe Biden's publicist as well in that case.

I did specify expelled, not arrested. I'm not sure whether criminal charges would be merited, but I wouldn't rule it out either. But schools are allowed to police their students beyond simple law. Any reasonable school should consider impersonation of an administration official and releasing statements on their behalf as punishment worthy... I would consider it expulsion worthy, but I would accept a lesser punishment. Any punishment to express how this is "not ok".

Imagine if you were working at a company and you decided to make a "satire" account for your CEO or company owner. I would fully expect you to be fired on the spot once that became public.

[Harry Baldman]

That's a good argument for why you could abuse your supreme authority to expel a given parody account's operators, but I wouldn't say it's a satisfactory explanation for why you really should. The 'false statements' in question followed after the actual statements and couldn't possibly be confused with the actual thing any more than Diamond Joe could be confused for Real Joe: it's certainly possible, especially on the internet, but mostly irrelevant.

Not to mention that it's the worst possible look for someone to lay into people who are, when it comes down to it, making what (assuming the article is representative) look to be mostly inoffensive jokes and participating in basic West Coast student politics.

[martinuzz]

If a CEO / director of a humanities faculty is to expel someone for political student activism, we live in dark times indeed

[Descan]

Not to speak for Neon, but I kind of agree.

From my personal viewpoint it should be the ones affected by such a ban. As of yet I've not heard of any transgendered people refused or kicked out of the military, and when that happens, protest ALL they want, for they have the means and the motive to do it. The people who are out there now though, with a few exceptions of perhaps students who were planning on going into the military, are just rabble rousers more than actual protesters. This is why I agree that it'll end in a few days. Most of these people aren't attached the current issue more than it being the current issue. They'll either get bored, or Trump will do something else that will lure them off to protest somewhere else.
 
I also question whether things have "ground to a halt." There are ridiculous numbers of recruiting offices all across the country. Even the smallest towns have them. Not to mention you can just flat out apply online now.

Only allowing the people affected to be the ones protesting something is how you get ineffective and tiny protests.