Against the Armies of Multiculturalism and ‘Social Justice’

The Second Front in My War Against the Armies of Multi-Culturalism and Social ‘Justice’ on Campus at Loyola University New Orleans

by Walter Block by Walter Block Recently by Walter Block: Open Letter to the Loyola University AcademicCommunity

In a previous column of mine on LewRockwell.com, I announced a two-front war against the university radicals. That one was an attempt to achieve real justice at Loyola University in Maryland, against Fr. Linnane, SJ, President of that university. The vehicle was a letter to Fr. Linnane’s SJ, superiors from my lawyer, F. Victor Hastings.

This present column is devoted to another letter from my lawyer, F. Victor Hastings, this one addressed to the president of my own university, Loyola University New Orleans, Fr. Kevin Wildes, SJ. My complaint in this regard is that the university’s grievance procedures (my case against the Diversity Task Force) have not been followed with any alacrity.

Before introducing this letter, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the splendid support in my quest from two people. One is Lew Rockwell, who has opened the pages of his LewRockwell.com to my travails. The other is Tom DiLorenzo who has been a magnificent source of support over this entire year. See here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

But this letter comes with a caveat. Many parents have decided not to send their children to my university because of this bout of campus political correctness I have become involved in. I do not at all agree with this assessment, and have written about that here. Please do ask your children to consider Loyola University New Orleans for their undergraduate education.

Now, to Mr. Hastings’ letter to Fr. Kevin Wildes, SJ:

F. Victor Hastings Hastings Law Firm P. O. Box 3109 #16450 Houston, Texas 77253-3109 (correspondence only) (504) 305-4537 Fax: (888) 797-4007 Email: [email protected] 64 Verde Street Kenner, Louisiana 70065 (deliveries and service only)

November 10, 2009

Fr. Kevin Wildes, S.J. President, Loyola University New Orleans 6363 St. Charles Avenue New Orleans, LA 70118

Re: Prof. Walter Block

Dear Father Wildes, S.J.:

On November 6, 2008, my client, Dr. Walter Block, Harold E. Wirth Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair and Professor of Economics, Joseph A. Butt, S.J. College of Business, Loyola University New Orleans, and winner of the prestigious Dux Academicus Award (2007), gave a speech to the Adam Smith club of what was then called Loyola College of Maryland (and is now known as Loyola University of Maryland). He did so at the invitation of the faculty advisor to Loyola Maryland’s Adam Smith Club, Economics Professor Tom DiLorenzo.

Soon after, the Loyola University New Orleans Diversity Task Force wrote a Report condemning my client for racism and sexism. This report grounded its claim that Prof. Block is a racist and a sexist not on the basis of anything he said (it did not directly quote him, despite the fact that he has a long paper trail on issues relevant to these charges). Rather, the reports is based upon a column in a New Orleans newspaper written about Prof. Block’s Baltimore speech by someone who did not attend the lecture and, in fact, was not even in Baltimore when he gave the speech.

The Diversity Task Force did not invite Prof. Block to testify at its meeting before condemning him. How is this different than a jury convicting a defendant based upon hearsay, while refusing to allow him to present his own defense? For more on this, see Prof. Block’s response to the Diversity Task Force.

How would members of the Diversity Task Force feel if Prof. Block reported that they were all Nazis (or Communists, or terrorists — take your pick), not on the basis of anything they had actually said or published, but rather, based simply upon something written by a newspaper columnist? How would members of the Diversity Task Force feel if Prof. Block condemned them publicly before even discussing his charges with them? How would they feel if Prof. Block’s accusations led students to avoid taking their classes — which is precisely what Prof. Block has experienced?

Prof. Block has tried to file a grievance against the members of this Diversity Task Force for their scandalous report on him, which was procedurally as well as substantively unjustified, ever since it was published. He has also attempted to file a grievance against Provost Ed Kvet, who allowed the Report of the Diversity Task Force to be broadcast to the entire Loyola University community, but denied Prof Block the right to respond to the same venue.

My client was told, initially, to file a complaint with the Reconciliation Committee — a moribund entity that was not reconstituted for several months. The Reconciliation Committee finally met in May 2009, but has not yet seen fit to convey its findings to Prof. Block. What are they afraid of? Either Prof. Block’s complaint will be found groundless, and the Diversity Task Force and Provost Kvet will be vindicated; or the complaint will be found meritorious. Does the Committee prefer one outcome to the other?

So, I ask that you encourage those responsible for the grievance process to do their work with more alacrity than they have demonstrated in the past. Certainly the speed with which the Diversity Task Force moved to condemn Prof. Block deserves an equally rapid response. "Justice delayed is justice denied."

Sincerely,

F. Victor Hastings Attorney for Prof. Walter Block

cc: Trustees of Loyola University New Orleans Members of the Diversity Task Force Members of the Reconciliation Committee Prof. Ed Kvet, Provost