By Isabella Darcy and Aidan Mastandrea
Managing Editor and News Editor
Freedom of speech has been a talking point at the College since Feb. 7 when The Signal published an editorial that raised concerns over the TCNJ College Republicans’ repeated use of antisemitic, racist, homophobic and transphobic rhetoric directed at other students in their recognized student organization GroupMe. The editorial posed the question: When is hate speech severe enough for the College to take action against it?
President Michael Bernstein answered this question in a letter to the editor on Feb. 11 by citing United States Supreme Court case Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education, which ruled that offensive speech is not grounds for a school to take formal action against those saying it except in extreme cases.
“To be actionable, the conduct or speech must be ‘so severe, pervasive, and objectionably offensive that it can be said to deprive the victims of access to the educational opportunities or benefits provided by the school,’” Bernstein wrote in the letter.
Messages in the TCNJ College Republicans’ GroupMe chat disproportionately targeted members of PRISM, the College’s oldest gender and sexuality alliance. One PRISM member was called a “thing,” another was accused of pedophilia on the basis that they are a queer studies minor and many more were attacked because of their identities.
Nobody from the College’s administration spoke with any member of PRISM about how their education was impacted last semester when PRISM was made aware of what the TCNJ College Republicans were saying about them, Mac Ziminski, a junior clinical psychology major and current president of PRISM, told The Signal.
“In President Bernstein's statement of finding that there wasn't an impact to education from this, I would like to say that is inherently false,” Ziminski said.
When PRISM found out about the GroupMe messages last semester, many members of the organization took time away from their studies to deal with the situation. Ziminski, a high-achieving student who has made the Dean’s List every semester, said focusing on classes and homework was much harder afterwards.
Two of The Signal’s editors were also targets of hateful messages sent in the TCNJ College Republicans’ GroupMe chat.
Both The Signal and multiple members of PRISM filed bias reports about what was said in the GroupMe chat. In doing so, they triggered investigations through the Office Student Conduct into the TCNJ College Republicans. The investigations concluded that the TCNJ College Republicans did not violate the Student Conduct Code or Recognized Student Organization Privileges and Responsibilities.
Twenty-four alumni co-wrote a letter to the editor condemning hate speech and extending support to those targeted.
Monmouth University’s student newspaper, The Outlook, also contacted The Signal because a number of students from their institution were responsible for some of the hateful messages that were sent in the TCNJ College Republicans GroupMe chat — even though Monmouth students are not officially a part of the College’s RSO.
President of Monmouth University College Republicans Giavanna Cangialosi told The Signal she believes the messages sent in the TCNJ College Republicans’ GroupMe chat are “radical, hateful and offensive,” and “do not represent [the Monmouth] organization's values, mission or views.” Monmouth students who sent some of the hateful messages were “immediately” removed from the GroupMe chat, according to Cangialosi.
“As a club, we uphold a zero-tolerance policy for hate speech, discrimination, and harassment, even if we have no influence over an individual's personal opinions or speech,” Cangialosi told The Signal in an email statement. “We acknowledge and understand the concerns that this situation has caused, and we want to reassure everyone that we are taking this seriously and will continue to do so in a private manner.”
Chairman of the TCNJ College Republicans John Rendzia declined The Signal’s request for an interview, but condemned statements made in the GroupMe chat in an email statement, calling them “disgusting” and “disturbing.”
“I fully acknowledge the outrage and the disappointment that a majority of the student body has at this point, and I do not fault anybody who may have spoken out against the organization,” Rendzia wrote.
The TCNJ College Republicans chairman expressed difficulties he faced as he tried to supervise the conversations happening in his organization's GroupMe chat.
“As the chairman of an organization that had nearly 200 members at its peak…the length of my ability to control and monitor what is being said, when it is being said, is genuinely impossible, and I believe the same holds for many of the members on my executive board,” Rendzia wrote.
That sentiment was not shared by the leadership of PRISM, whose executive board shares responsibility for moderating its group chats.
“These are all just things you have to do as president, and if you can’t do them all the time by yourself, that’s okay, but you have to ask for help,” said Ziminski.
Jacky Bruno, a Monmouth University student and chairman of the New Jersey Federation of College Republicans, also declined The Signal’s request for an interview, and instead emailed a statement.
“I will address it in the case of the antisemitic comments. Those were handled rather quickly, internally, and led to the separation of the member who made them,” wrote Bruno.
Neither Rendzia nor Bruno touched on comments made toward the LGBTQ+ community in their statements.
The NJFCR chairman believes that these circumstances don’t stray far from normal political discourse.
“People from the left and the right sides of the aisle say things that I constantly disagree with or may be offended by,” wrote Bruno. “However, I'm not one to cut someone out of my life, or organization for things they say, other than in extreme circumstances.”
Despite the affiliation of the TCNJ College Republicans, PRISM leadership does not view this situation as a political one.
“It’s not about the Republicans, it's about bigotry, and bigotry can come from anyone” said junior biology major and PRISM’s public relations chair, who goes by Neil.
Ziminski agreed, adding that PRISM does not have an issue with the TCNJ College Republicans existing on campus. However, they were bothered by the RSO “saying these things unprovoked when we have said nothing to them.”
What both PRISM and the TCNJ College Republicans agree upon is that there needs to be education for those whose actions or speech harmed others.
“I think the most important thing is education, because punishment just makes people bitter and makes them not want to learn,” said Neil. “You have to understand queer history and why what you're saying is wrong is the most important thing.”
Rendzia also hopes that this situation could lead to a better understanding of what PRISM does within the College community.
“I do not think that one controversial statement should lead to a person being ostracized, but should rather be used in a manner to educate and to prevent future occurrences from happening,” Rendzia wrote.
Jordan Richman, director of Student Conduct and Off-Campus Services, told The Signal in an email statement that Student Conduct “prioritizes education and restorative approaches to address concerns, promote accountability, and support affected individuals.”
Student Conduct could not comment on The Signal’s or PRISM’s cases “as a matter of practice and in compliance with federal privacy laws,” Richman wrote.
As stated in Bernstein’s letter, the College disavows the hateful messages sent by members of the TCNJ College Republicans. Bernstein himself “found the comments to be abhorrent and wholly inconsistent with the College’s values,” and believes the majority of the community would agree.
“Just because a school may not discipline students for engaging in obnoxious or offensive speech, does not mean it cannot take other actions, including denouncing the offending speech, providing support and resources to students and others who have been affected by it, and offering forums for the community to engage with alternative viewpoints,” Bernstein wrote. “All of this, TCNJ can and does do.”
This story was produced in collaboration with The Outlook at Monmouth University.
