OPINION: Point Park University has proven it is NOT the ‘inclusive’ school it claims to be

Over the past couple of weeks, Point Park University (PPU) has become a national laughingstock, primarily due to the university’s inability to uphold its own “inclusive” values.

After the Pittsburgh school sent out its annual anti-discimination policy email on Sept. 13, Campus Reform reported on the email, which included policies revolving around misgendering, misusing pronouns, and deadnaming. 

According to the email, “regardless of the intent, if an individual is impacted in a harmful way, action could be taken if a complaint is filed.”

When I first looked over the email, it took me a couple of  minutes to truly comprehend what I just read. It was unbelievable that the simple act of misusing someone’s pronouns could lead to action being taken from the school. 

Those implications motivated me to pitch the story to Campus Reform. 

I support people’s desire to feel included, but it is a completely different story when a university enforces a policy that is not only poorly thought out, but forces students to act against their own beliefs

One of my biggest concerns was it being unclear what specific punishments would be implemented if a complaint was filed in light of such of. 

In the course of my reporting, Louis Corsaro, Point Park University’s managing director of university marketing and public relations, provided Campus Reform with this hypocritical statement:

“Point Park University expects every member of its community - students, faculty and staff - to treat each other with respect.”

The university was continuing to be unclear about what the punishments for such an offense would be. 

After my article broke the story, it was picked up by multiple other news outlets, including Fox News, New York Post, Daily Caller, and more.

With all of the national attention my story was receiving, I was honored to have been given the opportunity to speak with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham on her show, The Ingraham Angle.

The interview aired on Sept. 24, and with it came a lot of backlash from students at my school.

Harassment, bullying, and threats were endured, but what concerned me most was a petition that was created with the stated goal of getting me removed from campus because of my opinion on the school’s Pronoun Misuse Policy.

The petition read, “Logan Dubil and others like him are the scum of the Earth. No one belongs on our campus who does not respect other people [sic] pronouns.”

That does not sound very inclusive or respectful, does it?

Although it appears that the petition has been taken down off the website, it did garner over 500 signatures before its removal. Five hundred people constitutes about 10 percent of the university’s student population. 

In addition to the petition to get me removed from campus, my place of work received a call from someone who claimed I misgendered them during my shift. 

Students at my school are not only trying to get me kicked off campus, but get me fired from my job, as well. So much for “[treating] each other with respect.” I guess that only applies if you are a liberal student. 

To that end, Point Park University’s Student Government Association (SGA) President, Dennis McDermott,  had the audacity to tweet this as everything was beginning to unfold:

Point Park should strive to be the”hell scape” conservatives believe it is.

— Dennis McDermott (@PresDPM) September 23, 2021

SGA’s Vice President, Kendra Summers, followed her president’s lead in tweeting about the situation: 

just unfollowed everyone I know that follows a certain transphobic idiot on any platform…if you fit into that category, yes, I am judging you!

— kendra! (@kenstallations) October 6, 2021

With everything I have experienced regarding the school’s policies and my media appearances, it has become quite clear that my university community does not care actually about students feeling respected and included on campus.

When I look at the student body, I only see one side of the political aisle at PPU. It truly is a shame how one-sided this campus has become. 

Once again, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but when students only read liberal opinion pieces in the school paper, and have far fewer conservative club options on campus than left-leaning groups, it indicates a real problem regarding diversity of thought.

If Point Park truly cared about including and respecting each and every student, a statement would have been released in support of our First Amendment rights, an action that has yet to take place. 

I have given them enough time to do this on their own, but enough is enough!

In response to the school’s inability to act in a timely manner, I sent them a letter with my concerns and requests regarding the current and ongoing situation. 

Included in the letter is a request “that the school releases a statement about the issue in question.”

“First off, I want students to know that the First Amendment is respected on campus. Conservatives need to know that they will not be kicked off campus, harassed, or doxed for being vocal about what they believe in,” it read “I also want to know that action will not be taken against me regarding the petition that was made to remove me from campus. An apology from the school would be nice, too!”

I concluded my letter to Point Park University with this simple message: “Action must be taken to prevent issues like these from occurring in the future.”

As of today, I have yet to hear back from the school. Point Park’s SGA, however, released an official statement doubling down on the school’s “non-discrimination” policies. 

In the statement that was published on the social media accounts of SGA members on Oct. 4 2021, the student government declared that “all members of our community deserve to be treated with respect.”

Well, me being harassed, bullied, threatened to be removed from campus, having my workplace contacted, and having the President and Vice President of SGA tweet negative statements about the conservative population does not demonstrate the student body’s purported values of inclusion and respect. All of this must be publicly addressed, sooner than later preferably. 

It is one thing to preach inclusivity, but it is another to actually enact these values on campus. After everything that has happened over the past couple of weeks, I do not feel respected, or even wanted, on my own campus -- simply as a result of standing up for my beliefs.

Speaking about enforcing values and policies on campus, Point Park University has yet to enforce its harassment and bullying policies either.

On Oct. 11, I received a letter from the Director of Student Conduct, letting me know that “no violation of University policy” has been found regarding my experiences over the past couple of weeks.

”As such, no action will be taken at this time. We encourage you, however, to keep us apprised of any future concerns,” states the letter. 

Basically, at Point Park University, a student will get in trouble for misusing a student’s pronouns, however, no punishment will be administered to students who bully, harass, or even create a schoolwide petition to kick a conservative student off campus. How does this make sense?

I expect the school to do something about its failure to uphold the inclusive values they say they do.

Release a statement in support of the First Amendment, sit down with the President and Vice President of SGA and take action against these student’s failure to represent the entire student body, and show the Point Park community that you actually care about each and every one of us. 

If these changes are not made, how are students who deviate from the progressive orthodoxy supposed to show up to class and feel like they are valued? 

I will answer that for you, they will not be able to, and if this is the case, students at Point Park will not be able to take their education seriously. 

Students attend college to get an education, make friends, and—most importantly—participate in the exchange of ideas. So far, my experience on this campus has been the complete opposite. I cannot even participate in class without fearing receiving backlash from other students, and sometimes professors. 

This is when you know your school has fallen to the mob. To other students reading this today, do not let your school follow suit with Point Park University.

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @logandubil