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WV state Republicans demand WVU, Marshall push back against BLM

September 21st, 2020 by WCBC Radio

Members of the West Virginia Senate majority caucus have signed a letter asking West Virginia and Marshall universities to respond more forcefully to recent instances of controversial speech occurring on campus.

The letter, signed by state Senator Eric Tarr, R-Putnam, and co-signed by 16 others, takes issue with “Black Lives Matter” stickers appearing on some West Virginia University football players’ helmets. 

The letter also refers to recent comments by a Marshall University professor who told students during a virtual lecture that she hopes all of President Trump‘s supporters contract the coronavirus and die before the November election. The professor later was suspended.

The text of the letter is as follows:

President's Gilbert and Gee,

I find it very disturbing that West Virginia University and Marshall University resources are being used to
promote the very same hate speech that is inciting deadly and destructive riots, assassination of police
officers, and denigration of our Republic. To this point West Virginia has been very blessed that our citizens
have not accepted this anarchist behavior. That does not mean we are immune to it.

West Virginia University receives more than $131 million from the tax payers of West Virginia. Marshall
University receives nearly $63 million of from the tax payers of West Virginia. A great many of those tax
payers whom I represent in the West Virginia Senate detest that those very hard earned dollars are used to
promote a domestic terrorist group on the helmets of West Virginia University athletes. Even further, it
appears Marshall University professors are so brazen as to use Marshall?s technology systems to call for the
death of supporters of the President of the United States. These behaviors are inherently disgusting, but the
use of law abiding tax payers? money against their very country, especially in light of the violence these
movements have displayed, is beyond any excuse. So I expect that the people that have charged me with the
responsibility to represent them would rather see those tax dollars either returned to them or used for a
more honorable purpose.

I ask that you, as University Presidents, take a very public and very demonstrable stand against such use of
tax payer resources that are meant to provide a better life for the citizens of West Virginia. The Universities
with which you are charged to lead are the flagships of the great State of West Virginia. Please treat them as
such, not as vehicles for anarchy or political propaganda.

Respectfully,
. .w
(144 - 
Senator Eric J. Tarr
Vice Chairman of the Senate Committees on Finance and Health and Human Resources

Mike Azinger John Pitsenbarger

Craig Blair, Senate Finance Chair Rollan Roberts

Donna Boley Patricia Rucker, Senate Education Chair
Charles Clements Randy Smith

Sue Cline Chandler Swope

Bill Hamilton Dave Sypolt

Kenny Mann Charles Trump IV, Senate Judiciary Chair

Mike Maroney, Senate Health Chair
Mark Maynard, Senate Government Org. Chair